


Past and Future Happiness

by kirallie



Category: Dark-Hunter Series - Sherrilyn Kenyon, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, F/M, Gods and Goddesses, Kidnapping, M/M, Magic, sex-slaves in ancient times, slash between teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2018-02-17 00:00:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 76,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2289533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirallie/pseuds/kirallie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Can two people from different times become friends when one of them is a slave? What will happen when time separates them only to reunite them millennia later?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don’t own Harry Potter or Dark Hunter.  
I have only read bits and pieces of Ash’s book so some of what I put in his backstory may not be cannon. There will be some slash early on but not sure yet whether it will be a permanent pairing. Let me know what you think. 

Chapter 1

Ash paused as he walked down the busy London streets to just people watch for a few seconds. He wasn’t often needed over here, despite the booming population for some reason there wasn’t a high volume of Daimons. He didn’t know why and if anyone else did they weren’t telling him. Something made him shiver and look around, his eyes focused on a family across the street and he grimaced as he saw the man and woman and the way they treated their son. But then he looked past them and his eyes widened slightly behind his sunglasses as he stared at the small dark haired boy. Those eyes……he had seen those eyes before so long ago and on a grown man, not a child. Was it possible he was a descendant? The boy looked at him and then flinched and looked away, obediently following the family as they continued walking. There was some sort of power wrapped around the woman, her son and the boy, power that almost felt familiar but not. Whatever it was it wasn’t a threat and he did have a meeting to get to with the local Dark-Hunter.

```````````````````````````````  
Harry groaned and rolled onto his back, blinking dazedly up at the blue sky above him. Since when was the sky ever so blue over Hogwarts at this time of year? And as he became aware of his body again he realised it was why too hot for a Scottish February. He managed to roll to his side and then sit up, hissing in pain as various wounds made themselves known. Sitting up he looked around to find himself on a beach of white sand leading down to the clearest blue water he had ever seen, not that he had ever been to a beach before. But he had seen pictures, especially Hermione’s family holiday snaps and if he had to guess he’d say he was in the Mediterranean somewhere. He got to his feet shakily and took stock of himself after ditching his ruined robes, leaving him in jeans and a long sleeved jacket. He still had his moleskin pouch around his neck and the single Hallow he had kept, his Father’s cloak, as well as his wand thankfully. So all he had to do was find the nearest Wizarding community and organise a portkey home. 

`````````````````````````````  
So getting home was going to be a lot harder than he originally thought. Considering he was stuck in the past and in a place even most Wizards thought was a myth. Hermione would have killed for the opportunity to see the legendary Atlantis in person. It was utterly amazing and nothing like what he vaguely remembered from history classes about societies so long ago. A quick transfiguration spell had changed his clothes so that he would blend in better and he was thankful he had gotten contact lenses before Diagon Alley was hit since no one was wearing glasses. The city had found was magnificent and in some ways reminded him of pictures he’d seen of Ancient Athens. It had taken a lot of quick spell work to figure out the language and that had led to another problem, his name. Harry was a rather modern and English name, something that would stand out a mile. So he had simply chosen to use an older, foreign version of it. While it still didn’t totally blend in he needed something similar so he would respond to it naturally and it was obvious to everyone he had not been born on Atlantis anyway. So now his name was Haraldr and he was from very far away, a traveller. His story had been accepted so far and so he had managed to get a room in a nice inn using some of his Wizarding money since it was gold, silver and bronze. He had been given the name and location of several people who would be willing to buy it, giving him access to local currency. 

He didn’t know how he had ended up so far in the past but he knew he was stuck until either someone back home found a way to get him back or his luck kicked in and he found a way back himself. That meant he had to make a life for himself in case it took years. Which meant getting money and a permanent place to live. Depending on how much money he got he would either live a life of luxury or find some sort of work. He could handle all of that after years of looking after himself. What was hard to adjust to was the sight of slaves. Seeing other humans being owned made him feel utterly sick. And there was nothing he could do about it; slaves were simply a part of life in ancient times and one person, even a wizard wasn’t going to change that. And that was another thing; he’d gone to a temple the other day and been totally shocked to see magic. Sure the Statue of Secrecy hadn’t even been thought of yet but to see magic so openly had been surprising but also good news for him as long as it wasn’t limited to only priests. At least the place being a monarchy was something at least vaguely familiar. 

`````````````````````````````  
Harry smiled as he stood on the balcony of his home and looked over his garden where a young woman was working. After buying his house he had done something that would have made Hermione curse him, he had bought slaves. He hated owning people but at least with him they had good lives and were basically free in all but name. He knew he confused them but he figured they’d get used to him eventually. The house was far larger than needed for one person but status was everything in Atlantis and he did not want people trying to walk over him. He glanced over as an aging man walked towards him and bowed slightly. “You don’t need to bow to me Akakios.”

“Of course Master. You have received an invitation from Lord Estes to attend one of his gatherings.”

“Do you know who Lord Estes is?”

“Of course sir, he is the younger brother of King Icarion of Didymos and has lived here for over twenty years. He is friends with the Atlantean Royal family as well and acts as Ambassador for his brother. His parties are lavish and very popular, especially among young men.”

“Do I want to know why?”

“Because there are always many tsoulus of both genders.”

Harry frowned. “I don’t know that word Akakios.” 

“It means sex-slave.” The older man answered, he knew even if he did not understand what his master thought of slavery. Sure enough Harry’s features tightened in anger and disgust. 

“How bad would it be to turn down the invitation?”

“It would do your reputation good to be seen at his party, at least for some time. Many of the rich of your age attend and it is a good way to socialise with them.”

Harry groaned and slumped down on a nearby kline, the reclining couch was nowhere near as comfortable as the plush couches in the Gryffindor common room but he was getting used to them. “So go or be treated as an outsider for a long time.” He muttered and received a nod in reply. “Very well send my acceptance and I will need appropriate cloths I suppose. Just please keep in mind I do not like displaying my body.” 

“Of course Master. I will see to it at once.”

```````````````````````````````  
Harry felt very uncomfortable as he reclined on a kline amongst other young men around his age. The food was rich, even richer than that served at school, and his stomach did not like it at all so he was only nibbling. At least the wine was nice though he was careful not to overindulge. He smiled and laughed when appropriate but he hated being there, how could they be so shallow? All they cared about was their own pleasure. He was just considering leaving, he had been there for two hours after all, when the evenings ‘entertainment’ entered the large room, men and woman dressed very scantily and all highly attractive. A young woman smiled seductively at him and knelt beside his couch but he sent her away with a flick of his wrist and she simply moved on to the young man beside him. Harry closed his eyes briefly to block out the sight of her quickly removed clothes. Hearing a commotion he glanced over and heard a laugh from one of his companions. “Good luck Haraldr, just a night with him costs more than my father gives me to spend in a year.” The young man commented and Harry blinked, that was a lot of money. Surely no one could be that expensive. Cursing his curiosity he got up and moved closer to see. A teenager knelt on the floor, golden blonde hair falling down his back and eyes firmly fixed on the floor. Harry felt something against his magic and shivered slightly even as his magic wrapped tighter around him, shielding him. He couldn’t be more than fifteen or sixteen and yet he was being treated like a piece of meat as the others bid for a night with him. The boy glance up and green met odd swirly silver for a second. He only needed that long to come to a decision and place a bid so far above the others they had no chance.

Lord Estes laughed. “For that much you could have him for a week!”

“Then how much would it take for a month?” He asked seriously and the man’s eyes went wide even as Harry sent a silent compulsion charm at the man. He named a figure and Harry nodded. “Done.” If Hermione was still alive she would kill him for purchasing a sex slaves services but he could give this boy a month of peace. “Follow me.” He addressed the younger male who stood and followed him from the villa. Sensing he was having trouble keeping up Harry slowed his pace. They soon reached his own villa and he walked inside tiredly. Akakios was soon walking towards them. “See to it that he has a room and anything he needs Akakios.”

“Of course Master. Do you need anything?”

“No, just sleep.” He looked at the teenager and sighed. “Go with Akakios, he’ll get you settled for the night and we can talk in the morning.” The teen just nodded and trailed after Akakios. Once they were gone Harry retired to his own room and stripped off. He quickly washed down with cold water from a jug and then collapsed into bed. 

When he walked out to the balcony the next morning he found breakfast waiting for him beside the stone bench he liked to watch the sunrise from as a teenager kneeling beside it. “God morning, I hope you slept well.” Harry greeted as he sat down. He reached out slowly and gently tipped the teens head up, not liking the way he stared down all the time plus he wanted to get a better look at him. “I am Haraldr and this is my home. What is your name?”

“Acheron Master.” 

“As I am sure you heard last night I have ‘purchased’ you for the next month. But I have no intention of having sex with you.” He could feel Acheron’s surprise at that. “If I wanted sex I would go find a willing partner, not a slave who can’t refuse me. While you are here you will receive three meals a day and have your own room which I will not enter. As long as you remain on the grounds, do not steal or use violence then you can do as you wish.” He explained calmly. He doubted Acheron would believe him but he would learn. And Harry planned on more negotiating with a certain lord to buy more of Acheron’s time. 

`````````````````````````````````  
Acheron stared around him at all of the books, a hand almost touching some of them. Not that it would do him any good, he couldn’t read. “Found something you like?” He tensed at the sound of his temporary masters voice but for the past five days the man had kept his word. “You can read any of them you like.” Acheron looked away. “Can you read?”

“No Master.” 

“Would you like to learn?” His Master asked and Acheron risked a glance at him, seeing no cruelty in his eyes.

“Yes please Master.”

“Alright, we will start with something easy.” He chose a book and then sat, patting the seat beside him. Acheron cautiously sat beside him, waiting to be struck but instead the older man simply opened the book and began teaching. 

TBC….


	2. ch2

Disclaimer: Not mine.  
Everyone seems to want HarryAsh so guess it will stay that way.

Chapter 2

Harry sat up as a noise disturbed the silence of the house. He slipped out of bed and grabbed a lamp, lighting it quickly and then left the bedroom. He followed the noise to the room where Acheron slept. He knocked on the door softly but there was no answer. He opened the door and moved inside, finding the teen asleep and tangled in the sheet. “Acheron? It’s alright, it’s just a nightmare.” He whispered, gently placing a hand on his arm. Silver eyes snapped open and Acheron stared at him fearfully. “It’s okay, you’re alright.” Harry set the lamp down and then reached down to gently straighten out the sheet for him. Harry gently stroked sweat soaked hair back from Acheron’s face. “Go back to sleep, nothing will harm you here.” He soothed even as Acheron’s eyes slowly slipped shut again. Harry left his room and closed the door behind him, placing a monitoring charm on the room just in case. 

```````````````````  
Acheron watched his current Master as the older male swam in the large pool. He did not understand him at all. He had purchased his services but wasn’t using him. He had even taught him to read and gave him his own room! He didn’t stare at him like all the others did which was strange but also sort of nice. Though with this Master….he might not actually mind. He was very good looking, tall and slender but well-muscled, dark hair and the most intense green eyes Acheron had ever seen. That wasn’t to say he was perfect, he had scars and Acheron suspected he was some sort of warrior. But he was different to any soldier or warrior he had been given to before. 

Acheron started slightly as his Master surfaced and rested his arms on the edge of the pool. “Good afternoon Acheron.” 

“Good afternoon Master.” He returned the greeting softly, keeping his eyes on the ground to keep from staring at his naked body. 

“Would you like to swim?”

“I do not know how sir.” He admitted. He saw his Master’s hand come into his view. 

“Want to learn?” Was the offer and Acheron hesitated. “I won’t let you drown.” Harry moved to the end with stairs and Acheron hesitated before following him. He glanced down at his clothes and then at the water. “I will only touch you to help keep you above water until you learn to do it yourself.” Acheron nodded shakily and hesitantly removed his clothes before stepping into the warm water. At the bottom of the steps it reached his waist, at least at this end. It felt very nice, like an overly large bath. “Alright, let’s start with learning how to float.” 

``````````````````````````````````  
Harry smiled as he watched Acheron read. It had been six months since the younger male had come into his care and thanks to magic Lord Estes was happy to continue accepting payment for Harry to keep him. He had learnt to read, swim, cook and even sew in that time, all very useful skills. And he was less hesitant around Harry and the other ‘slaves’ which was good. But Harry could feel something in the air, his magic felt unsettled. He hated to think what it could mean since the last time it had felt like this was during the last battle, the battle that had ended with him here. Could it mean he would be returning to his own time soon? He didn’t want to leave his people though, who knew what would happen to them. He went to the shelves of books and began searching through all of the ones he had on law. He would do whatever he could to ensure their happiness when he left. 

Five days later he finished his will. He knew it would shock all those who he knew but he didn’t care. In his will he freed all of his slaves and divided his worldly possessions among them. The only one he could nothing for was Acheron. He had set up a golem to serve as his dead body once he was gone to ensure his slaves would benefit from the will. But as soon as that happened Estes would take Acheron back and start using him again. He sighed and lent back, soaking up the warmth of the Mediterranean sun. He would miss this place a lot. Not like he missed the technology of his own time since he spent most of his time in the Wizarding world. He actually enjoyed living in the past. But he had always guessed it wasn’t going to last. After all, Voldemort was still alive even if he was mortal. Well hopefully that blasted snake had been killed. He didn’t understand why he had woken here after talking to Dumbledore but it had given him the best six months of his life. Now all he had to do was explain to Acheron that he was ‘dying’. He didn’t want the younger teen shocked by his death after all.

```````````````````````````````````  
Acheron lay on his bed, curled on his side even as he bit at the piercings in his tongue. Haraldr, his Master, was dying. He didn’t want him to die. He treated him like a person, had taught him so much. It was so amazing; he had enjoyed his time here so much. No one touched him here, yes the other slaves stared a lot but they tried to be kind. He got up and left his room, walking towards where he knew his Master slept and hesitated before slowly opening the door and moving inside. A lamp instantly lit and he saw his Master sitting up, hair messy from sleep. 

“Acheron? Is something wrong?” 

“No sir.” Acheron answered even as he moved to kneel on the bed. He crawled towards his Master who stared at him, waiting to see what he would do. He stopped beside him and took a deep breath before leaning in to press his lips to Haraldr’s. A warm hand gently cupped his cheek, easing him back.

“What are you thinking Acheron?”

“Please M…Haraldr.” He finally spoke his Master’s name for the first time despite having being told months ago that he could. “Let me give you this.”

“But why Acheron? I won’t use you.”

“I know that now. I want to know….how it can be if you care about each other.” He whispered.

“Oh Acheron.” Harry whispered as he realised just how important he had become to the younger man. “I wish things could be different, that I could save you.” He admitted. 

Acheron gave a small smile at that. “You did, no matter what happens…”

“Shh.” Harry soothed him. “If this is what you really want then alright.” Acheron nodded so Harry gently drew him closer, one hand gently stroking his side as they kissed. “Do whatever you want, whatever feels good.” Harry urged him even as he slowly explored Acheron’s body with his hands. For once Acheron felt good having someone touch him; he didn’t want to cringe away. He slowly brought his own hands up to explore Haraldr’s skin. Being able to touch as he liked was amazing. They just lay in bed for ages, kissing and touching before Acheron shifted onto his back, offering himself. “Are you sure?” Harry asked one last time and Acheron nodded. “Alright.” Harry smiled and moved to kneel between his legs. He lent in to kiss him even as he went to work preparing him, taking so much care to make sure Acheron felt nothing but pleasure. 

```````````````````````````  
Acheron woke slowly, feeling the warmth of another body against him and he frowned before remembering what had happened that night. He smiled and cuddled into Haraldr’s body. He felt the arms around his waist tighten briefly and then warm lips were pressed to his shoulder. “Good morning.”

Acheron turned his head to find green eyes locked on him and he smiled. “Good morning.”

“How do you feel?”

“Incredible.” He flushed slightly even as he said it.

“Good. You’re welcome to come back any night you want, just to sleep or for other things.”

“Thank you.” His stomach rumbled and Haraldr chuckled.

“Time for breakfast.” He sat up and stretched and Acheron watched him move around the room, dressing for the day. 

``````````````````````  
Acheron started awake, something was wrong. He sat up and felt Haradlr’s arms slip from around him. He fumbled for the lamb and then stared in horror at the other mans’ cold, pale body. “No…..please no.” He begged. “Help! HELP!” He screamed even as he shakily pulled the body into his arms, trying to find any sign of life but there were none. 

Akakios entered the room at a run but then stopped and bowed his head in grief. They had all known this was coming but for it to happen so suddenly….He slowly approached the bed and the grieving teenager. “Shh, please young one let him go now.” 

“No, he can’t be gone. He can’t.” Acheron whimpered in grief.

````````````````````````````  
Acheron watched his sister with her new born son and smiled softly at them. The time he got with them was the happiest he had since…no he wouldn’t think of that time, it still hurt too much. He may not have the privileges he had with him but his life her was a lot better than in Atlantis. As long as he stayed away from his parents and twin at least. And he had a new lover who he was pretty sure he loved, what a goddess saw in him he didn’t know but he had been so lonely since he had died. 

````````````````````````  
Harry finished packing his trunk and looked around Sirius’ family home for hopefully the last time. He was done here. Voldemort was dead; the Death Eaters dead of in Azkaban and no one would leave him alone so he was leaving. He’d heard America was nice after all.

TBC….


	3. ch3

Disclaimer: Not mine.  
Does no one like ‘No Matter what we stand together’ Posted under Kirallie anymore? Only 1 review for the new chapter. 

Chapter 3

As soon as the doors opened a wave of humid heat hit him and Harry gasped, unused to such a thing after almost a year back in London. The weather reminded him a little of Atlantis though that hadn’t been quiet so humid. Well at least he’d get his tan back. Glancing around he smiled as he spotted the man standing beside Sirius’ refurbished bike. Say what you would about Goblins, if you paid them well they always came through for you. It was thanks to them that he had a house waiting and was able to enrol in college. It had been their spell work that had crammed an entire high school education into his head but he had sat the final exams and passed them all well enough to be accepted into college much to his surprise. Getting good marks in primary school had just been asking for trouble due to Dudley being an idiot and then at Hogwarts beating Hermione in anything but Defence would have caused friction he didn’t need. But now he could do his best and no one could do a thing about it. In three days he would start at Tulane University and he was looking forward to it but first he needed to find his house and get settled in. It was time to move on with his life. The Boy-Who-Lived was no more and Haraldr did not belong to the modern world. It was time to find out who Harry James Potter was without them. 

````````````````````````````  
Harry leant back in his chair in thought before shaking it off and moving to pack his things up. Mr Alexander was a very interesting teacher and if he was fully human Harry would eat Hagrid’s cooking. There was something….unearthly about the man but he didn’t feel like a threat. And the way he spoke about Ancient Greece and Macedonia…like he had actually lived it, maybe he had. Harry knew there were being around that could live that long after all. Who better to teach the subject and it was obvious he had a passion for the time. It was why Harry had chosen Classical Studies after all, his love for the past even if Atlantis was considered a myth now. It had been tempting to focus on archaeology and go looking for Atlantis, he had a pretty good idea where the islands remains where thanks to magic, but sometimes things vanished into history for a good reason, just like Avalon and Camelot. So instead he decided the life of an academic would be nice, maybe in a few years he would be in front of his own class. 

“Mr. Potter?”

Harry turned to find the man he had been thinking about standing in front of him. “Yes sir.” 

“Welcome to Tulane, I have been appointed your faculty advisor so if you need any help just ask me.”

“Thank you sir.” Harry smiled at him as he lifted his bag.

“You’re from England?” Julian asked the young man as they left the room.

“Surrey, but I was schooled in Scotland for the most part.” 

“So what made you decide to come all the way here for school?” He was curious about the boy. He looked so young but his eyes looked as old as any Dark Hunters. 

“Did you hear about the terrorist attacks over here?” 

“Oh.” Julian winced.

“Yeah. There’s nothing left for me there so I figured it was time to see the world.” Harry shrugged.

“Well I hope you’re happy here and I’ll see you next week unless you need anything.”

“Don’t suppose you know a good place for some local cuisine, nothing fancy though.”

Julian thought about it. “Well….there is Sanctuary. It’s a bar and very popular with tourists and locals. They serve some good food and it’s safe too, no violence allowed.”

“Sounds good.”

“Just don’t try to drink underage.” He warned and Harry laughed.

“I have no interest in alcohol.” He had had his fill of wine and stuff at those ‘parties’ in Atlantis.”

“Alright. Let me write out directions for you.” 

``````````````````````````````  
Come In Peace, Or Leave In Pieces.

Harry chuckled at the sign as he walked inside. It was a good warning. He looked around and smiled, relaxing at the feeling of safety the place gave off. And where did they hire their wait staff, a modelling agency? He shook his head and found an empty table, sitting down to people watch. He ordered a coke and some gumbo; he had come for native food even if he wasn’t sure what it was exactly. There was a band on the stage, a sign advertising them as the Howlers made him think of Mooney. But it wasn’t just the name, something about them felt wild and untamed just like his honorary uncle but different to him as well. He accepted his food with a smile for the young woman who delivered it and she smiled back before moving on. Harry relaxed back in his chair and studied his dinner before picking up his spoon and digging in. It was good, spicier than he was used to but still good and filling. He finished off his coke and the same woman approached. “Refill?” She asked and he nodded.

“Thanks.” He handed her his empty glass and she took it to refill. 

She put the glass down and looked to see if he needed anything else. “Tourist?” She asked having picked up on his accent.

“Student, one of my teachers recommended this place for good native food.”

“Well welcome to New Orleans.”

“Thank you miss.” He grinned and she laughed before leaving him to his food. He stayed to listen to the band for a while after eating before leaving. Just as he did the song Sweet Home Alabama began to play and many others left with him to his confusion but he shrugged it off and got on Sirius’ bike to head home. He had class in the morning after all.

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Acheron looked towards the door with a frown. Just for a second….but that was impossible, he had held his dead body in his arms over eleven thousand years ago. And yet that young man had looked so much like him. Was it possible Haraldr had family that had descendants still around? He shook it off and went inside, Simi wanted to have a night out so he was giving her one. 

TBC….  
How many of you want to scream over them almost meeting again?


	4. ch4

Disclaimer: Not mine.  
Should Harry be the Master of Death?

Chapter 4

Harry sat back from his laptop and stretched. It was almost 2am but he had finally finished his paper. He hit print and then stood up, wincing when his back cracked. He might only be nineteen but sometimes he felt three times that, the various injuries from over the years making themselves known. It was part of the reason he’d moved from England, the cold made it worse. Of course there was a lot more to it than that but it had been one of the considerations. Honestly he still wasn’t sure what had made him chose New Orleans but it had just felt right and he knew better than to go against his instincts, when he did bad things happened. He sighed tiredly and packed his books away as well as his laptop before collapsing on his bed to sleep, making sure to set his alarm. It took seconds for sleep to claim him and in his dreams he was back in Atlantis, Acheron beside him. 

When he woke in the morning it was to a cold empty bed and it hurt. Despite how little time they had together he still missed the younger male. He threw back the sheet and got up to shower and begin the day. University was harder than he’d expected but interesting and it kept him occupied, kept him from dwelling on things he’d rather forget. No longer having to write everything by hand and with a quill was great, he loved his laptop, it was the best purchase he had made! How the Wizarding world could think itself so superior when they still used owl post and quills he had no idea. 

Dressed casually in jeans and a long sleeved shirt he threw on his leather jacket and grabbed his helmet and bag before heading for the garage and his bike. He only had two classes today but he had another paper due soon so he planned to spend several hours in the library. 

`````````````````````````````  
Julian saw a familiar head of messy hair bent over a book and slowed to say hello to his student.

Harry looked up and smiled at his teacher. “Hi Dr Alexander.” 

“Mr Potter, settled in alright?”

“Yes sir. I’m enjoying the work a lot.”

“Made any friends yet?” He asked since he had noticed the teen sitting alone in class and sure enough he shrugged. “There’s more to college than just class. It’s a time to make friends and have fun as well, join a club or sport.” Julian tried but he could tell Harry wasn’t at all interested, it was like there was a wall between him and everyone else. But if he had lost his family to the attacks in London over the last few years than it was understandable. He just hoped as more time passed Harry would try to open up to the other students. “Alright, I’ll see you in class tomorrow.” He left it there and went over to find the book he needed, leaving Harry to his work.

````````````````````````````  
Julian smiled at his best friend as the other man gently stroked his wife’s stomach. He knew the wonder he felt, the disbelief that something so wonderful could be happening to him. He had felt it when Grace was pregnant. After everything that had happened he had never though he would have a family again. Now he not only had a family but his best friend back in his life. Now and then he still felt a flash of guilt for the way Kyrian had died all those centuries ago, if he hadn’t been so foolish then he would have been at his side facing the Romans. But they had both made it, even if it had taken a few goddesses and a curse. 

They looked over as the door opened and greeted Acheron warmly. Julian was still getting to know the ancient Dark Hunter but he liked what he saw and knew. Plus Kyrian trusted him and called him friend, that was a very good endorsement right there. 

“So how are classes going?” Kyrian asked, still amused by the idea of Julian as a teacher. 

“Same as always. Though there’s a new student all the way from England. It’s strange, if it wasn’t for the fact his eyes are green and he’s out in the day I’d swear he was a Dark Hunter. His eyes are so old and worn. He lived through the terrorist attacks but it’s more than that.” Julian admitted tiredly. “I want to help him but he’s closed himself off.” 

“You can’t help him if he doesn’t want help.” Ash pointed out and Julian nodded sadly. 

````````````````````````````  
Harry stopped his bike and looked around in confusion even as his magic surged happily under his skin. What was going on? Then he heard the sounds of a fight and sighed, he should keep going but he couldn’t. He yanked his helmet off and vanished into the darkness, hidden by magic. What he found had him staring wide eyed in shock as a tall figure with purple hair twirled a staff around, taking out a group of blondes expertly. It was amazing and scary at the same time to watch. He saw one of the men disintegrate which wasn’t normal but then another was sneaking up on the man and he couldn’t allow that so he moved, dropping his invisibility as he did. He grabbed the blondes arm and pulled, throwing him off balance even as he brought his knee up into his stomach. “Sneak attacks aren’t nice.” He snapped, putting some magic into the blows. The blonde snarled, revealing fangs and Harry threw aside any regret at fighting. Friendly vampires did not go around attacking people after all. Of course he couldn’t use any obvious magic since there was another person around but he could be subtle. He spun and kicked out; catching his opponent in the chest and sending him back to be skewered threw the heart by a rusty old pipe, the body disintegrating. Harry turned to find they were all gone and the taller man was watching him. He moved slightly and the light fell across his face, revealing features Harry would never forget. “Acheron?” He breathed in shock. 

TBC….


	5. ch5

Disclaimer: Not mine  
So far Master of Death seems the most popular in the polls but I’m not sure, it is a bit overdone after all. Come on people, show imagination! How could Harry be immortal without that?

Chapter 5

Acheron stared at the young man in front of him in surprise and wariness. He knew who it looked like but that was impossible, he had held his dead body in his arms eleven thousand years ago. But he knew his name…..”Haraldr?”

“This is impossible. You….you should be dead of old age.” Harry whispered and then smirked slightly. “Love the hair colour.”

“How old are you?” Acheron asked, was it possible he was older than Ash? 

“Nineteen.” He admitted and then sighed. “We should get off the street; this isn’t going to be a conversation we want overheard. Unless you like white coats?” Harry left the alley and headed for his bike, able to feel Acheron following him. He remembered that in Atlantis he had been able to sense a kernel of very contained power within the then younger male but now….he fought down a shiver as he felt that power wash over him, Voldemort could only have dreamed of such power. “Need a lift wherever we’re going?” He nodded at his bike and Acheron hesitated before nodding and getting on. He was even taller than Harry remembered and it made him proud to see how much he had grown after he ‘died’. “So my place or yours?” He asked as he grabbed his helmet. 

Acheron looked at the young man sitting in front of him even as he brought his arms up around him to hold on. Despite his words Ash could feel his nervousness, sadness and wariness. “Yours will be fine.” He knew Haraldr would feel safer in his own home. 

“Hang on then.” He put his helmet on and started the powerful engine. It felt odd for Acheron to be on the back of someone else’s bike but he forced himself to relax and enjoy the experience even as he tried to figure out what his one-time Master was. He wasn’t a god, were-hunter, demon….he felt like nothing Acheron knew except….that child in London all those years ago. But that didn’t make sense, unless he had children at some point. Then again he said he was only nineteen. A few minutes later they pulled into a driveway and then a garage and Ash got off even as Haraldr stopped the bike and pulled his helmet off. “Come on in, you want anything?”

“No thanks.” Acheron looked around the rooms curiously. In a way the home reminded him of the villa; it felt just as inviting and warm even with modern furnishings. He saw a few photo frames and looked closer, seeing a young couple on their wedding day, another of the couple and a dark haired baby and then one of a younger Haraldr with two other teens, one redheaded boy and a brown haired girl. 

“My parents and my school best friends.” Harry told him when he came back into the room and saw him looking. He sat on the couch and stared at Acheron, still amazed he was alive after so long.

Acheron sat opposite and studied him closely; he could see no changes from when he had last seen him except his tan had faded. “How can you be here Haraldr?”

“Harry, my name is Harry Potter.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I was born on the 31st of July 1980 in a small town called Godric’s Hollow in England to James and Lily Potter.” It was amazing how much it still hurt to talk about his parents despite barely remembering them. But they had given their lives to ensure his survival. 

Haraldr…Harry was becoming more and more of a mystery. Ash was so used to knowing everything that it was rather refreshing to be surprised. But he didn’t know how to interact with him; he had changed a lot over the millennia while his old Master appeared to be the same world weary, protective and kind young man he was back then. Would he hate him for everything he had done over the years? And why did he even care what Harry would think of him? “How could you have been born in 1980 when I knew you elven thousand years ago?”

Harry’s eyes went wide in shock. “Eleven…I knew it had been a long time but I never imagined….” He shook his head. “There was a fight and then I woke up on a beach in Atlantis, I never knew when it was.” 

“You mean, you weren’t born in my time?” Acheron asked to clarify and Harry nodded. “Time travel like that is impossible.”

“Well most things that are impossible seem to be possible around me.” Harry stated.

Ash suddenly remembered something and frowned. “Did you live around London?”

“Surrey, why?”

“Years ago when I was in London I saw a child that looked like you. He was with a couple and another child. I thought maybe a distant descendant of yours.”

“Let me guess the man and child were crazily over weight and the woman was really skinny?”

“So it was you.” 

“Sounds like it.” Harry cocked his head and stared at Acheron before smiling. “You had blue hair and were wearing sunglasses.” How could he forget the odd looking young man who had watched them that day? 

“That was me.” Ash agreed, confused by all he was learning. “What are you?”

Harry hesitated, the law said he had to find a way around the question or even wipe Acherons’ memory. But Acheron couldn’t be human due to living so long, not to mention the now well controlled power he had so the law didn’t apply, right? “I’m a wand waving, cauldron stirring, broom flying wizard. What are you?” he answered almost flippantly, not sure how Acheron would take the answer or even his return question. This wasn’t the Acheron who had hesitantly crawled into bed with him or had sat beside him wanting to learn to read. This Acheron was a man fully grown and confident and he wasn’t sure how he would react.

TBC…  
Not entirely happy with this chapter.


	6. ch6

Disclaimer: Not mine.  
I have honestly been avoiding this chapter cause I hate having to yank out the explanations. By the way, for anyone who read New World posted as Kirallie a sequel has been posted that is a crossover with Dark Hunter. Another World: Here I go Again by Nonsense-Nosense is the sequel, first chapter of it is up. 

Chapter 6

Acheron stared at Harry, he was a what? A wizard? There was no such thing. Humans couldn’t do magic like he was saying. Sure there were people like Amanda but broom flying? It wasn’t possible, he’d know, wouldn’t he?” “Wizard?” He asked just to be sure and Harry smiled but nodded. This was the Master he remembered from so long ago but while he may be the same person Acheron had changed so much since then. So why was he here? To get answers only or out of some strange hope that maybe he could have a friend who knew some of his past? Was that even possible? Harry had never been affected by his curse and obviously still wasn’t. When Acheron had gone to his bed it had been because he wanted to, not because Harry was obsessed with his body. 

“Wizard.” Harry shifted to lounge on the couch, stretching and popping his back. “The weather here is so much better than London, not as much fog and rain.” He absently rubbed at his arm where Acheron remembered a scar that went right through his arm. 

“You died.” Acheron pointed out, time travel was possible though he’d never heard of someone going that far back before. But how could Harry have come back to life? “I held your body in my arms.” It had been one of the worst days of his life. 

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered, closing his eyes briefly. “But I didn’t die. I could feel something changing, like before I got thrown back there so I set things up. Wrote a will to free the others but I couldn’t do anything for you since….well for the will to work there had to be a death. I used magic to create a fake to replace me when I got pulled back. Guessing it worked.”

“It did. I believe that instead of selling the estate and splitting the proceeds they simply continued to live there.” He had heard whispers, freeing your slaves upon your death had been unheard of in Atlantis. A favoured slave might be passed on to a family member while the rest were sold but they were not freed. 

"Good, that’s good.” Harry smiled slightly at the news. “But it didn’t help you.”

“You gave me skills I never would have learnt otherwise, skills that came in handy later. For that I have always been grateful.”

Harry smiled more widely at that. "Happy to have been helpful.” He studied the tall, slender man opposite him. He had grown a lot over the millennia and not just in height. He was what some of the girls at school would have called ‘drool worthy’. Not that he hadn’t been back then but he had grown into his looks more. Though he wasn’t sure whether he liked the natural blond or the crazy dye job better. “You always felt powerful but it was so contained, like you didn’t know it was there but now…..you’re not human, are you Acheron?” He finished quietly, it was the only thing that made sense. New Orleans was turning out to be a very strange city. 

Acheron was startled by Harry’s observation. His being something other than human was not usually the first assumption people had. Then again most people weren’t time travelling wizards. But what should he tell him? What most knew, the whole truth, most of it? “I am a Dark Hunter.” He finally admitted. That was the best place to start, he could tell Harry more if they became friends one day. Maybe. 

“And a Dark Hunter is?”

“Remember the Temples?”

“Of course, there was a Temple on every corner, it was the only hint I could find of magic back there.”

“The gods and goddesses they were dedicated to are real.” Acheron then told the story of Artemis and Apollo and how the Daimons and Dark Hunters came to be. “I was the first after…after Apollo killed me in front of Artemis because his mistress had my sister and nephew killed and I didn’t help them. I couldn’t, I would have died to protect them but I had been drugged. Now Artemis owns my soul and those of the other hunters.” He waited for the scorn and hate but instead Harry knelt in front of him, placing a gentle hand on his knee.

"I am so sorry you went through that Acheron. What happened to your family wasn’t your fault, I know you would have saved them if you could. He had no right to kill you.” Harry whispered, able to see the grief and guilt Acheron still carried. “Artemis had no right to bring you back to clean up her family mess either. No one should be condemned to such an existence.”

Acheron stared at Harry in surprise, there was no pity in his eyes just sadness and understanding. Understanding….”You died.” 

“Sort of. It’s kind of complicated. I wasn’t fully dead, just hovering on the edge. I was given the choice to wake up or not. I chose to live.” 

At least Harry had been given the choice unlike him. Of course that raised the question of why he had been given the option and who had given it to him? What had been the price? Because there was always a price, he had learnt that long before he met Harry.

TBC...


	7. ch7

Disclaimer: Not mine

Chapter 7

Harry slumped on his couch, still in shock. He had never thought he’d see Acheron again and yet the other man had only just left his home. But the man who had just left was not the one he remembered from what to him was just weeks ago. That Acheron was very different in many ways to the one he had been talking to, though he sensed that in some ways he was still the same even if he hid it. The question was what now? Could they move on from hat they had back then to become friends or something? Did they want to? He wouldn’t mind a friend and Acheron was powerful enough to not only not covet Harry’s own power but to protect himself from Harry’s sucky luck. Sure he was lucky, it was the people around him that tended to die though. 

He groaned and forced himself off the couch, he still had some reading to do for class the next day.

`````````````````````````````  
Acheron sat on his throne absently strumming his guitar and mind reeling from the day’s revelations. He had never expected anything like this. Of all those he had called ‘Master’ during his mortal life it had been Harry that he had come to care about, maybe even love. He had almost been broken by his death and yet it turned out he hadn’t died. But what happened next? He couldn’t see Harry’s future at all which meant they would be staying at least friends. Did he want to get close to him again when the next time he died it would be for real? Would Harry even want to know him now? He wasn’t the same scared teenager he had been all those centuries ago and Harry was the same as he had been then thanks to time travel. 

And in a way that was the most puzzling part of this. How had Harry gone back so far and then been brought back to the present? It shouldn’t be possible and yet it had happened. Had one of the gods done it? But why would they do that? He put his guitar down and changed his clothes before vanishing, maybe Savitar would know something and actually be in the mood to share.

`````````````````````````````````  
Harry stayed back after class so Julian approached him and rested against his desk. “Everything alright?”

“I don’t know.” He admitted, chewing his lip. “Something happened, it could be something great or not. I just…”

“Need someone to talk to?”

Harry shrugged. “No one would believe it.”

“I can believe some pretty impossible things Harry, try me.” He offered and Harry stared at him. “How about I meet you at Sanctuary and we can talk over some food? Whatever this is you need to get it off your chest or it could affect your grades at least.”

Harry sighed but nodded, this would be one way to find out if he was right about the man having lived what he taught. “Okay.” Harry grabbed his bag and stood up, leaving the classroom and then he had to bite back a laugh when he saw the car his teacher got into, it appeared he occasionally argued with telephone poles or something. He grabbed his helmet and started his bike, following the car to the bar. They went inside and Harry noticed the way Professor Alexander was greeted by the staff. They sat in a booth and ordered some food and drinks, waiting until they were served to talk. 

Julian took a sip of beer and put his glass back down to take a wing to eat. “So, what happened?”

“I ran into someone I was positive was dead. Turns out he’s not.”

“How sure are you he was dead?” 

“Hundred percent positive. Seeing him again….” Harry ran a hand through his hair. “Things were meant to be simpler here, not more complicated.” He grumbled. 

Julian chuckled. “Life is complicated everywhere Harry.”

“Can I ask you something?” Julian nodded. “How old are you really?”

Julian almost choked on his beer at the question. “Excuse me?”

“The way you teach is as if you lived what you’re teaching. No one gets that good through just study.” Julian stared at his student. How had he figured it out? No one else had. “Cause the person I found? Is older than what you’re teaching.”

“This person have a name?” It wasn’t possible it could be who he thought, could it?

“Acheron.” Harry whispered and Julian slumped back in his seat.

“You know Ash.”

“Knew him back in Atlantis, stupid time travel mess.” 

“But that’s…” Julian picked up his beer. “Julian of Macedon, nice to meet you.” He admitted and Harry grinned.

“I knew it! Wow. So how?”

“My mother is Aphrodite.”

“As in the Greek goddess?”

Julian nodded. “My father was mortal though. I’m only alive because Priapus cursed me into a scroll. My wife managed to free me a few years ago and I’m still getting used to the twenty first century.”

“I bet you are. I had the opposite problem, I went from all this to Atlantis, talk about a culture shock.” He shook his head. 

“Ash helped?”

“Uh…sort of. He was pretty much normal back then. I had some things on me I was able to change for currency thankfully. Ended up with a nice villa and slaves that ended up being freed in my ‘will’. Everything was so different there. So yes, I was very shocked to see Acheron the other night. I logically assumed he was long dead. And neither of us has any idea how I got there or then back here.” He also assumed Acheron wouldn’t want his past as a slave mentioned, not that it was anything to be ashamed of but he doubted the older man wanted everyone to know. 

“So is he very different to the Acheron you knew?”

Harry nodded. “But I’m not. For him it’s been thousands of years but for me it’s only been months.”

“Did you talk about it?”

“A bit. The talk was more confusion over how all this is possible and stuff.” He picked up a chicken wing and nibbled at it. 

“I’ve known Ash for a while now, he’s friends with an old friend of mine. He’s….a complicated man. But I know he needs friends. Can you accept how he’s changed and be that friend?”

“I like the changes I’ve seen, he’s so much more confident and sure of himself. He’s also a lot older than me now when I was the older back then which is a bit weird.” 

“So?” Julian asked and Harry sighed running his hands through his messy hair.

“Keep talking to him until we sort out how to be friends in the twenty first century.” 

“So you’ll pay attention in class on Friday?”

“Yeah, sorry.”

`````````````````````````````````  
Acheron glanced at his phone as it rang and saw Harry’s name flash up on the display. It had been just over a week since they had met and now the wizard was calling him. He had given Harry space to think about things and obviously he had finally come to a decision. Ash took a deep breath and answered the call.

TBC…


	8. ch8

Disclaimer: Not mine  
So for my HPSW the vote seems to be for HarryPadme, so people don’t mind Luke and Leia never being born?

Chapter 8

Harry sat at a booth in Sanctuary, alternating between checking the door and his phone. He smiled as it opened and a familiar tall form filled the doorway even as Sweet Home Alabama began to play. He saw Ash nod to a few people before sliding into the seat opposite Harry. “Hey.”

“Sorry I’m late Harry, I had to deal with a problem.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you took my call.”

“You think we can do this?”

“What? Be friends after millennia? Yeah, I think so.” Harry smiled at him and Ash gave a slight smile. 

“Alright. So what are you doing now?”

````````````````````````````  
Harry laughed as they walked down the street, night falling around them. As it darkened Harry noticed Ash becoming more on guard so he let his magic seep out into their surroundings. “Can’t feel anyone like those things you killed anywhere nearby.” He pointed out softly and Ash blinked.

“You can feel them?”

“Well I can look for beings that feel like the ones you killed do. Daimons….right? And I thought vampires were a pain, least they only want your blood.”

“Vampires? Real vampires?”

“Yep. Allergic to garlic, sunlight and wood. Only met one when I was sixteen, kind of creepy.”

“Your world is even stranger than mine.” 

Harry chuckled. “Oh I don’t know, you’re the one that knows literal gods.” Of course that was when a scream pierced the air, one exchanged look and then they were running towards it. Harry grinned slightly at the realisation he had someone at his side when running towards trouble. 

````````````````````````````````````````  
“You’re sadistic, you know that right?” 

Julian chuckled at the complaint. “Problems Harry?”

“How could you write such a horrible exam?”

“I didn’t think it was that bad.” That got him a glare. “Looking forward to the break?”

“Yeah. This whole university thing is harder than I thought it’d be.” 

“And how are other things going?”

“Good. We’ve met up a few times, saved a few damsels in distress.”

Julian choked. “He took you hunting?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “I’m hardly defenceless.”

Julian sighed but let it go. Ash wouldn’t put Harry in danger. “Alright. Got any plans for the break?”

“Not sure. I was thinking of hitting the road for a week or so but now I’m don’t know.”

“You should see more of America when you can. Ash is pretty good at getting around if he misses you while you’re gone.”

“Guess so.”

``````````````````````````````  
Ash watched as Harry packed up his saddle bags from where he was sitting on the lounge. “I’m not going for long.” The wizard pointed out as he shoved a shirt in. 

“You’ll keep a look out for Daimons and stay away?”

“Yes Dad.” He teased with a grin. 

“Harry.”

“Ash I’ll be fine. I’ve been looking after myself for a while. I’m not helpless and I can always apparate out if something does happen, promise.” 

“Alright. Will you call?”

“Of course.” Harry threw him a grin. “We are not losing contact again Ash.” 

“Yeah.” He went to say something else but his phone rang and Harry bit back a laugh, that phone rarely stopped ringing. He finished his packing while Ash talked. “Gotta go?”

“Yeah.”

“You can call me too.” Harry told him before he vanished, off to help his people. Harry finished closing up his place before putting his bags on his bike and heading out of the city. 

`````````````````````````````  
Harry answered his phone even as he sprawled on the bed. “Hey Ash, good day?”

“Not too bad.” They talked for a while before hanging up and Harry headed out to find dinner. Julian had been right to urge him to keep his plans despite meeting Ash again. He was really enjoying himself, spending his days on the road or wandering around whatever town or city he was in. It was a great way to see more of his new home country. So far the trip had been trouble free but he doubted his luck would hold. 

Sure enough three days later he came across a man fighting a group of Daimons with a gun. He was taking them down easily enough so he hesitated in getting involved but then one snuck up behind the man so he acted. 

Sundown turned to find who had just saved him from getting stabbed in the back to find a young man in the mouth of the alley, his eyes were green so he wasn’t another Dark Hunter. So who was he?

“Guessing you work for Ash.”

“Who are you?”

“Harry, a friend of Ash’s. You hurt?”

“Thanks to you, no. Ash send you?”

“Nope, just travelling around. Saw you fighting and decided to step in when it looked like you would get hurt.”

Sundown stared at him, he claimed to be a friend of Ash’s and he had helped him. “Well thanks again.” He picked up his shotgun from where he’d dropped it.

“No problem. Good hunting.” Harry walked away and Sundown watched him go, he was an odd one. 

````````````````````````````  
Harry put his bags on his bed and smiled, stretching to pop his back, it was good to be home again. He unpacked and then got changed before heading out, he felt like music and dinner. A little while later he parked outside Sanctuary and headed inside, getting a few looks. “You’re becoming a bit of a regular, like our food that much?” Aimee asked as she put a glass of coke down in front of him. “Though you haven’t been in for a few weeks.”

“Schools on break so I went on a road trip.” He took a sip. “And yes, the food here is that good.” 

She laughed. “So the usual?”

“Yes please.” She nodded and went to place his order. 

“You know him Aimee?” Mama asked as her daughter joined her at the bar.

“Not really, why?” 

“He was sitting with Ash a few weeks ago.”

Aimee glanced back over at the British man and blinked. “Well he isn’t a Dark Hunter or one of us Mama.” 

“Be careful.”

“Yes Mama.” She went back to work, serving him his food when it was ready.

“Thanks Miss.”

“It’s Aimee, if you’re turning into a regular you might as well start learning names.”

He laughed. “True enough, I’m Harry, nice to make your acquaintance.” 

“Thank you, enjoy your meal.” 

````````````````````````````  
Aimee glanced over as Sweet Home Alabama began playing and several patrons left the bar only to see Acheron and Harry walk in together, obviously talking about something. Nick was the only human she had ever seen the head Dark Hunter really talk with so who or what was Harry? He was cute enough for a human but he seemed so normal and not at all dangerous. If not for her family watching her every move he might even be a bit of fun for a while, though unlike a lot of patrons he’d never really flirted with her. She just hoped he wasn’t a danger because he seemed a good guy and those were a very rare thing in their world.

TBC….


	9. ch9

Disclaimer: Not mine.  
I think I’m playing around with the timeline a bit since I haven’t read the books in a while but this is AU. Harry’s presence in Ash’s past and presence would change things. Also I have decided how to make Harry immortal, thanks to all those who made suggestions

Chapter 9

Julian paused as he recognised the head of messy hair in a nearby booth and then headed that way, Kyrian following him in confusion. “Hey Harry.” Julian greeted and the younger man looked up and grinned.

“Hey Julian, looking forward to tormenting new students?” He teased and Julian laughed.

“Of course. Harry Potter this is Kyrian Hunter, an old friend of mine.”

“Hi. So old friend or OLD friend?” 

Kyrian stared in shock at the distinction the kid was making, he knew? “I…Julian?”

“Kyrian of Thrace meet Harry Potter, unwilling time traveller who happens to be good friends with Ash.” Julian motioned to the empty side of the booth and Harry nodded so he pushed Kyrian down before sliding in beside him.

“Time traveller?” Kyrian asked, feeling rather off balance. 

“I met Ash in Atlantis.” Harry answered even as he waved Aimee over so the two could order. Once she was gone he leant back in his seat, studying Julian’s friend. He’d read up on Julian’s history which had included the famed warrior Kyrian of Thrace. His betrayal and death had been horrible so it was good to see the two had been reunited. It was amusing to see the one-time General’s eyes go wide. “It was rather shocking to wake up on the beach when I’d been in Scotland. I met Ash while there but eventually ended up back in this time, figured I’d never see him again. I moved out here for college and Julian was my teacher and student adviser.” 

Kyrian was shocked, this boy had known Ash when he was mortal? It was utterly incredible. And yet…...he hadn’t seen much of Ash lately but when he had seen him he seemed different…. happier. Harry explained that if they had been friends so long ago. But how could a human time travel? Someone or something had sent him back but why? To befriend Ash or for something else? Was it a good thing that the two had been reunited or would it lead to worse things for Ash?

`````````````````````````````````````  
Ash frowned, something was very wrong. Talon was not one to shirk his duties. And to say Ash had told him too…. He had a very bad feeling about this. Though it was amusing how the poor Celt had been run over by a float. Nick was being a pain over Valerius being the new Dark-Hunter in town to replace Kyrian and having Zarek around wasn’t making life any easier. He hesitated before heading for Harry’s, finding his friend sprawled on his couch with a book and a pot of tea. Harry put the book down and sat up as soon as he appeared. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything?” He settled into the armchair with his legs stretched out in front of him, letting his hair fade from blue to his natural blonde. Harry was the only person he willing let see his true appearance. 

Harry leant forward, worried for Ash. “What do you mean?”

So Ash explained about Mardi Gras and the normal threats during the city wide party. “You know; I’ve had a really wonderful night tonight. I got to tell Kyrian and Julian that Valerius is in town and spent, oh I don’t know, three, four hours trying to keep them from going after the Roman. Then, just when I could relax and do my job, I find out there are Daimons in the swamp and no Talon to kill them. And why wasn’t Talon here? Because Tarzan was swinging off a balcony to save Jane from Cheetah. Now all I can do is stand here and say, next fiasco, please, right this way.” He groaned and Harry chuckled. “It’s not funny! Thankfully the bears managed to fix things before he became too much of an internet star.” 

“What can I do to help?”

“Harry…”

“I’m serious. You need to relax and stop worrying about everything so tell me what I can do.” 

Ash seriously thought it over and then winced. Could he ask Harry to do it? “Think you could play Squire without killing Zarek? I need someone to keep an eye on him.” He felt guilty for leaving him in that house alone but few could stand him for very long. 

“My temper’s not that bad, I didn’t wipe out most of Atlantis did for their treatment of their slaves did I?” Harry smiled and the stood up. “So what does a Squire do?”

\------------------------  
Harry knocked on the door and waited a while before knocking again, finally it was opened and Harry found himself staring into black eyes that held more rage than he’d seen in a long time. “You must be Zarek, I’m Harry. Ash sent me.” 

“Why?” He snarled, wanting the human to leave.

“Because you need a Squire apparently. I volunteered so here I am.” He shrugged, not letting Zarek’s attitude affect him. 

Zarek frowned, he wasn’t allowed a Squire. He was too dangerous and unpredictable; he might kill them. So what the hell was Acheron playing at? “Go home, I don’t need you.” 

“Yes you do.” Harry answered softly. “You don’t want me here but you need me to be here. There’s a difference.” He simply slipped around Zarek and looked around the fairly empty place. “For starters let’s get this place warmed up and then a nice hot meal. Ash gave me your number but you’ll need mine in case of problems while you’re out.” Harry said as he turned the thermostat up and then headed for the kitchen with the grocery bags he’d been carrying. Zarek followed him in shock. What the hell was happening? Soon the smells coming from the stove had his mouth-watering in anticipation and he watched as…Harry set the table for one. He swallowed, clenching his fists in anger, he was going to eat in front of him? “Well sit down Zarek, almost done. Don’t think I’m letting you go out without a good meal in you.” He plated up and put it on the table before going to clean up. “I’m going to look around and see what else needs doing. Hope you like that.” With that Zarek was alone in the kitchen with the marvellous smelling food. 

Harry made it into the living room and then leant against the wall, eyes closed as he breathed deeply. He’d seen that expression before, on his own face as the Dursley’s stuffed themselves in front of him while he starved. He saw the bedding on the floor and shook his head, gathering everything he headed upstairs and found the master bedroom. He finished setting the room up for Zarek and then claimed the bedroom two down the hall as his own, not wanting to crowd the older man too much. The townhouse was slowly heating up thankfully, it had been cold enough he’d been using a warming charm! He knew Zarek was used to artic conditions but he should enjoy the heat while he could. Harry was determined to do everything he could to ensure Zarek earned a reprieve from Alaska but he doubted it would be easy. Compared to the Dark-Hunter’s past his was a fairy tale. A little bit of magic here and there had the place feeling homier at least so he went back downstairs to find Zarek had finished eating and was looking for his things. “They’re in the master bedroom upstairs. There is no way I am letting you sleep on the floor or couch. I’ve got the room two down from it if you need me while I’m sleeping.”

“You might want to rethink that boy.” Zarek snarled and Harry drew himself up to his full height, staring him down with no fear. 

“Do not call me boy again.” He stated coldly and Zarek actually found himself feeling intimidated by the human. Which was just ridiculous, wasn’t it? “I am here as a favour to Ash and because no one deserves to be totally alone. I am not here as a servant or slave.”

Okay Zarek was a little impressed. But it didn’t matter, he knew the real reason this Harry was there, to keep him out of trouble. No one wanted him in New Orleans, he knew everyone pretty much wanted him dead and this was his last chance. “Whatever. I’m going out.”

“Call if you need me.” Harry called after him and then sighed as the door slammed. He needed to find a way to get through to him, he didn’t want Ash to live with the pain of having to have anyone killed and Harry didn’t want him to die either. He wasn’t against killing like Dumbledore, he’d seen how that came back to bite you in battle, but he didn’t like needless killing.

TBC……


	10. ch10

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

**Chapter 10**

If there was one thing he had learnt it was that fighting made you hungry so, he was making a light yet healthy and filling meal for Zarek once he returned from patrol. He wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with the man but he would not let him walk all over him. and then he swore as the monitoring charm he’d tagged him with went off. He disillusioned himself before apparating to his location only to snarl in rage as he saw the two cops beating him and Zarek fighting to keep from hitting back. Dark Hunters weren’t meant to harm humans. So Harry came up behind them, dropped the spell and knocked them out. He then quickly wiped their memories of Zarek and grabbed him, apparating straight back to the house where he pushed him onto the bed and went to work on the shocked man’s injuries.

 

“How did you do that?” Zarek demanded.

 

“Magic.” Harry answered as he finished up. “You’ll be fine by morning though what did you do to end up with the cops attacking you?”

 

“There were Daimons in the alley, tracking Talon’s girl.” He answered after sitting in silence for a while.

 

“I’ll let Ash know. Get some sleep.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Why what?”

 

“Why did you help me?”

 

“It’s why I’m here and it was the right thing to do.” He answered before leaving the room and pulling out his phone. He dialled Ash’s number and sighed when there was no answer. He agreed with his friend, something odd was happening in New Orleans.

 

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Harry slipped into the club he’d found Zarek outside of the night before. He figured if they were after the owners’ daughter he could give some extra security. At least he’d finally gotten through to Ash who had agreed to his helping keep Sunshine safe. He glanced around the club and spotted her from the picture Ash had sent him. He went to the bar and ordered a coke, stupid American drinking age. He then saw a tall man walking towards her and one glance at his eyes identified him.

 

As Talon walked back to Sunshine, his entire being ached. He couldn't stand the thought of what Eros was about to do. It cut him on a level so deep it was unfathomable. But it had to be done. They couldn't be together. It was foolish to think otherwise. He had to do this to save her life. From the corner of his eye, he saw Eros appearing in god-form. Invisible to humans, the god of love was easily discernible to Talon's Dark-Hunter senses.

 

"You sure?" Eros's voice echoed in his head.

 

Talon leaned over, kissed Sunshine gently on the lips, and then nodded. He held her face in his hands, and stared at her brown eyes, waiting for the moment when they would turn dark with hatred. Waiting for her to stiffen and curse him. Eros raised his bow up and shot it straight into Sunshine. Talon swallowed as painful expectation tore through him. Goodbye, my love.

 

She grimaced at him. "Ow! Talon, did you hit me?" He shook his head and waited for the hatred to come into her eyes. It didn't. Seconds ticked by slowly as her frown deepened. "I don't feel right." She rubbed her heart where Eros had shot her. Then, amazingly, she looked up and focused her gaze on Eros. "Cupid?"

 

Eros looked around nervously. "You can see me?"

 

"Well, yeah," she said.

 

Eros shifted and looked a bit green.

 

Talon frowned as a bad feeling went through him. "What happened, Eros? Why doesn't she hate me?"

 

Eros looked even more uncomfortable. "You two wouldn't happen to be soulmates, would you?"

 

"Yes," Sunshine answered. "Psyche said we were."

 

Eros gave a sheepish grin. "Oops. I think I need to have a talk with my wife. Damn, she should have told me."

 

"Oops?" Talon repeated. "Eros, oops better not be in your vocabulary."

 

Eros cleared his throat. "No one told me you two were soulmates. See, this"-he held up his bow-"only works on lust and infatuation. Soulmates are a whole 'nother ball game. That kind of love, I can't kill. Nothing can."

 

Sunshine gaped as she understood what was going on. In that moment, she wanted to strangle Talon. "You tried to get him to make me hate you?"

 

Now Talon looked as sheepish as Eros. "Honey, I can explain."

 

She glared at him as rage rocked every particle of her body. "Oh, you're going to explain all right. How dare you try to monkey with my mind and heart? I don't appreciate your doing something so underhanded."

 

"Sunshine," her father said. "He's right. You can't have a future with him. He's not human."

 

"I don't care what he is. He and I have something together and I can't believe he'd do something like this."

 

"I forbid you to see him anymore." Her father's tone was stern.

 

She turned her anger toward her father. "And I'm not thirteen. I don't care what you forbid or not, Daddy. This is between me and him."

 

"I will not watch you die again," Talon said slowly, stressing each word.

 

"And I will not be manipulated. Nor will I just give you up."

 

Talon turned and stormed out of the club, his emotions churning. He couldn't do this. He couldn't. He had to let her go. It was for both their sakes.

 

Harry watched Sunshine run after her Dark Hunter and sighed, he felt sorry for them. At least he’d hit them both as well as her Dad with trackers. He was so glad classes were light at the moment or he’d be dead on his feet with all this running around.

 

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Harry appeared beside Ash and then ducked as a Daimon went sailing overhead. “What the hell?” He grumbled as he kicked another and then transfigured a stick into a blade, taking its head off.

 

“Daimon’s obviously.” Ash answered and Harry rolled his eyes even as a bunch of wolves fought too. “Wolves?”

 

“Katagaria den. Damn it, where’s Talon?” Ash sent a few bolts of power out, disintegrating several of the attackers.

 

“With Sunshine. He tried to have Eros kill her love for him, didn’t work and they had a big fight. Apparently make up sex is fun though.” He answered as he turned the ground beneath a group to quick sand. He really didn’t need that much detail, he needed to work on those trackers. After what felt like hours but was only minutes the last Daimon died. Hearing cries of distress and anger they moved that way to see two men cradling the form of a female wolf close, her pups around them. Harry knelt beside them and one of them growled.

 

“Let him help Vane.” Ashe called out and the now named man grudgingly allowed him close. Harry scanned her and then began casting every healing spell he knew.

 

“Ash I need the blue bag that’s under my bed.” He called and Ash vanished before returning with it. Harry rummaged through it before withdrawing a vial of clear liquid. “Get her to swallow this.” He ordered and Vane took the via, gently coaxing it down her throat.

 

“What is it?” the other man asked.

 

“Phoenix tears, most powerful healing magic there is.”

 

“Phoenix?”

 

 

“Yep.” Harry answered, smiling as his scans gave back more positive readings. “Give it a few days and she’ll be back too normal.” He reassured the men who were obviously brothers. He looked over the pups but there was nothing he could do for any of them, he glanced at Ash who shook his head, he couldn’t or wouldn’t help them. The two men left the wolves alone to grieve.

 

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Ash he stared at Talon. "You almost look normal tonight. Are you going to stay that way?"

 

"I told you I could contain myself." So far, it was working. Talon was at peace with the fact that come the dawn he'd be having it out with Camulus. When Ash stepped forward to speak, it dawned on Talon that Zarek was nowhere to be seen. Was he upstairs too? "Where's Zarek?" he asked Ash.

 

"I have him guarding Sunshine."

 

Now that destroyed his calm. "Like hell!" Talon roared.

 

"Trust me, Talon. I believe in Zarek to do the right thing."

 

Talon's response was emphatic. "I don't trust him. At all. And after this, I'm not sure if I trust you."

 

"Enough of the bickering," Ash said. "Just do as I told you and everything should work out."

 

"Should?" Talon asked.

 

When Ash spoke, there was an odd note in his voice that made Talon wonder how much more Ash knew than he was telling them. "We have predestinies, Talon, but human will can circumvent them. If everyone does as I've instructed, then things should work out the way they're meant to."

 

Talon clenched his teeth. "And if we don't?"

 

"We're all screwed."

 

"Gee, Ash," Nick said sarcastically, "you're just so damn comforting."

 

Ash gave him a wry look. "I try to be anyway."

 

Nick's answer was flat. "You fail admirably."

 

Talon was still stewing.

 

Ash spoke to all of them. "What I need everyone to know is that we have a truly sinister night ahead of us. It seems Dionysus and Camulus have combined their forces to try and get themselves reinstated to their full godhoods."

 

"How are they planning on doing that?" Valerius asked.

 

"The two of them aren't strong enough to do it on their own. They need the power of a third god to aid them."

 

"What god?" they all asked simultaneously.

 

"Apollymi."

 

"Who the hell is Apollymi?" Talon asked. "I've never even heard of her."

 

One corner of Ash's mouth turned up wryly. "She's an old god who dates back to my time. One who has powers over life, vengeance, and death. The Atlanteans affectionately referred to her as the Destroyer."

 

"Is she like Hades?" Valerius asked.

 

"Oh no," Ash said ominously, "this god makes Hades look like a Boy Scout. Apollymi finishes off her victims with an iron hammer and commands an army of malformed demons.

 

"The last time someone freed her, plagues and suffering permeated the world and she sent Atlantis straight to the bottom of the sea. She headed across Greece, laying waste to the entire country, and setting them back culturally thousands of years before she was finally returned to her holding cell. The Destroyer will unleash holy hell on this earth. Starting with New Orleans."

 

"Oh goodie," Nick said sarcastically. "I just love knowing about these things." Ash ignored him.

 

"So how do they intend to free the Destroyer?" Talon asked.

 

Ash took a deep breath. "The only way to do that is with the blood of an Atlantean."

 

"Your blood," Talon said. It was a given, since Ash was the only Atlantean left alive.

 

Ash nodded. "At midnight, the threshold between this plane and the one where she lives will be thin enough to breach. If they unleash her..."

 

"Anyone else have an ulcer?" Nick asked.

 

Talon ignored his question. "How do we stop them?"

 

"With a lot of faith and by doing exactly what I tell you to do."

 

Nick snorted at that. "Does anyone other than me think that Ash is being just a little too vague about all this?" Everyone except Ash raised their hands.

 

"You're not funny," Ash said to them.

 

Ash looked to Valerius. "I need you on the streets with the Peltiers. At eleven-thirty, Dionysus is planning to unleash his Daimons on the population in order to distract us. Slay any of them you find.

 

"Nick," Ash said, "I want you and Eric ready to mobilize if you're needed." The Squires nodded.

 

Ash put his sunglasses on. "Talon, you stay with me. You and I are going after Dionysus and his crew."

 

"Just out of curiosity," Talon said, "how do you know all this?"

 

Ash ignored him. "All right, children," Ash said, "head out and guard the streets."

 

"Just one question?" Eric asked him.

 

"Sure."

 

"Maybe I'm being dense but why are these guys after power now? Why didn't they do this last year or at some other time? Why wait?"

 

Ash's answer wasn't comforting in the least. "This isn't the first time they've tried to take their powers back. This is just the best shot they've had at succeeding."

 

"Okay," Eric said slowly. "So what happened to their powers to begin with?"

 

Talon answered for Ash. "When a god ceases to be worshiped, their powers diminish. If a god is defeated by another god, then a chunk of his powers is absorbed by the victor and he loses his ability to regain his former position."

 

Eric nodded. "Okay, one last thing. What happens if they do regain their powers?"

 

Ash looked away. "Let us hope we don't find out."

 

"Why?"

 

"Because according to Atlantean myth, the Destroyer is supposed to be the one who will bring about Telikos-the end of the world. No doubt Dionysus and Camulus are thinking that Apollymi will be so overcome with gratitude when they release her that she won't think twice about joining them and sharing her power with them.” A new voice answered and they turned to find a young man standing in the doorway. Ash nodded at the newcomer, an actual smile on his face.

 

“You sure about this?” Ash asked.

 

“You know I’ve been bored lately Ash. Saving the world is what I grew up doing.”

 

“Okay who is this?” Nick asked.

 

“Harry.” The young man answered calmly. “Where do you want me?” He asked Ash.

 

“On the streets with Valerius and the Peltiers. If I call though.”

 

“I’ll come running.” Harry agreed.

 

Ash nodded and then turned the conversation back to the explanation. "What they don't know is that there was a really good reason why Apollymi was imprisoned by the Atlantean gods. Even the other gods feared Apollymi's wrath, and in the end, she killed them all. Whatever we do, we can't ever let her escape. If they free her tonight, everything you know about this existence will change. Everything."

 

"Gotta love saving the world," Talon said. "Another day in the life."

 

Ash took a deep breath. "And on that note we have things to do."

 

Talon nodded, but in his heart, he wished he could see Sunshine one more time. He didn't want to die without seeing her face again. Duty, how it reeked.

 

Valerius headed out first. Talon, Nick, and Eric went out through the back door with Ash and Harry pulling up the rear. As Ash left the house, the back door slammed shut, catching the tail end of his long black coat. Ash jerked to a stop and cursed.

 

Nick howled with laughter at the sight of Acheron trapped. "Don't it take the bad-ass right out of you?"

 

Ash arched a brow. The door opened by itself, freeing his coat, then it slammed shut again.

 

Nick sobered instantly. "And that puts it right back in you."

 

Ash ruffled Nick's hair like an older brother. "Watch our backs and soothe Amanda's nerves until Kyrian returns."

 

"You got it."

 

Ash, Harry and Talon left the ornate courtyard and headed into the crowd of tourists and locals who were as thick as fog. There were hundreds of people out. Hundreds who had no idea that the very fate of the world rested in the hands of the two men dressed in black who were making their way slowly through them.

 

Two men who were tired tonight. Weary. One because he had long ago ceased feeling anything except the heavy burden of his responsibilities.

 

Ash wanted nothing more than one single day to just lie down and rest. One day to find a moment's worth of comfort. He'd spent eternity waiting for a second chance. Waiting for an escape from the wreckage of his past and the damnation that made up his future. Tonight, he had to face his brother for the first time in eleven thousand years. The two of them had never been on equal footing. Styxx had hated him since the moment of his birth. For Ash, this was going to be a long, long night. But then he felt Harry’s hand brush his, their fingers briefly entangling and he looked over to find the wizard smiling softly at him and he felt better. Harry gave him hope that they would all make it out alive. He squeezed Harry’s hand before the other man moved away to begin hunting.

 

Talon's thoughts were on Sunshine. On the gentle curve of her face. The beauty of her touch. Was she in her loft painting? Was she thinking of him? ‘I love you.’ Her words tore through him. Talon clenched his teeth, wishing he were touching her. Hoping that at the end of this night she would be safe from Camulus forever.

 

"Faith, Talon," Ash said as if he knew his thoughts.

 

"I'm trying." Talon took a deep breath. His death didn't concern him. It was Sunshine he couldn't allow to die. Right or wrong, he would see this through, and come morning she would be safe. No matter what it took.

 

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Zarek led her in through a back door and up a series of stairs. He opened a door at the end of the hallway and let her enter first. Sunshine stepped inside. At first glance, she thought the tall blond man was Acheron with a new hair colour. But when she saw Camulus standing by his side, she knew it wasn't. It was Styxx who was standing between Camulus and a brunet man she didn't recognize. Sunshine turned to run. Zarek closed the door ominously and took up a blocking position before it. The look on his face told her that he had no intention of letting her pass through him.

 

"Come in, come in, said the spider to the fly," Camulus said.

 

Sunshine lifted her chin as she faced the men. Camulus was extremely handsome, but he had a smile that was pure evil. Even more so than Zarek and that was hard to accomplish. The man she didn't know was humongously tall with light brown hair and a goatee. He had an extremely refined, well-bred look to him. "I'm going to take a wild guess that you are Dionysus," Sunshine said, remembering what Selena had once told her about the patron god of Mardi Gras.

 

He smiled as if flattered she knew him. "Guilty."

 

Camulus let out a long breath. "She's so bright. It's almost a shame to kill her. But... oh well."

 

"You can't hurt her," Zarek said from the door. "You promised me she wouldn't be harmed if I brought her here."

 

"So I lied," Dionysus said. "Sue me."

 

Zarek started for the god, but Sunshine stopped him. She wasn't really sure why she did that, it just seemed as if he were the closest thing to an ally she had in that room. She turned back to Camulus, knowing exactly how he planned to hurt Talon tonight. "I'm not going to let you kill me in front of Talon." They all laughed. All except for Zarek.

 

"You can't stop us," Camulus said.

 

Zarek glanced down at her, then did a double take as his dark gaze fell to her necklace. "Uh, gods, I think you've forgotten something."

 

Dionysus curled his lip. "We forget nothing."

 

"Oh, okay," Zarek said sarcastically, "then you must already know that she wears a Marking Medallion." They sobered instantly.

 

"What?" Camulus snarled.

 

Sunshine pulled her grandmother's necklace out of her shirt and held it up to them. She couldn't really believe it might help her, but hey, anything at this point was worth a try. "My grandmother said that the Morrigan would always protect me."

 

Camulus cursed. "Oh, this ain't right." He cursed again.

 

"This thing really works?" she whispered to Zarek.

 

"More than you know," he whispered back. "He can't kill you without making the Morrigan angry."

 

"Well, who knew?" she said, amazed by the knowledge. "Cool."

 

"Yup," Zarek concurred. "Better than a cross with Dracula."

 

She beamed. "Does it work against Dionysus too?" He nodded. Oh, this was good. Very, very good. "Okay, then, let's talk."

 

"Talk about what?" Dionysus hissed.

 

"Not you. Him." She indicated Camulus with a nod. "I want to talk about Talon's curse."

 

Camulus's eyes blazed at her. "What about it?"

 

"I want you to lift it."

 

"Never."

 

She held her medallion out to him. "Do it or..." She gave Zarek a sideways glance. "Does this have any power to hurt him?"

 

"Only if he hurts you first."

 

Damn. What kind of protection was that? She needed to have a talk with whoever came up with these things.

 

A calculating glint lightened Camulus's eyes. He sighed as if bored. "Oh well, since I can't kill you, I guess I'll have to content myself with killing Talon instead."

 

Terror consumed her. "What?"

 

Camulus shrugged nonchalantly. "It's rather pointless to let him live happily ever after with you when my intent was to make him suffer. Since you can't die, he'll have to."

 

Her hand shook as she held the medallion in her suddenly sweaty grip. "Won't Artemis be mad if you kill one of her soldiers?"

 

He looked at Dionysus, who burst out laughing. "Artemis, darling that she is, would most definitely care. However, she won't start a war with the Celtic pantheon over it. Unlike me, Cam is safe from her wrath."

 

"Doesn't it just reek?" Camulus asked. His happy smile belied his dire words.

 

Sunshine wanted to cry. This couldn't be happening. By saving herself, she had condemned Talon to die. No! She couldn't let this happen. "Okay, there has to be another way."

 

Camulus narrowed his eyes as if thinking about the matter. "Perhaps there is. Tell me, Sunshine. How much does Talon's happiness mean to you?"

 

"Everything," she said sincerely.

 

"Everything. Well, that certainly is a lot." His look turned steely cold, frightening. "Does it mean as much to you as your own soul?"

 

"Sunshine," Zarek said. "Don't."

 

"You, heel," Dionysus snarled.

 

Zarek cracked his knuckles. "Don't tell me what to do. I don't like it."

 

Sunshine ignored them. "What are you saying to me, Camulus?"

 

He tucked his hands into his pockets and acted as cool as someone chitchatting about the weather, not sealing the fate of her immortal destiny. "A simple trade. I lift his curse. You give me your soul."

 

Sunshine hesitated. "That seems easy."

 

"It is."

 

"So what are you going to do with my soul once you have it?"

 

"Nothing at all. I'll keep it with me, just like Artemis keeps Talon's."

 

"And my body?"

 

"A body doesn't need a soul to function."

 

Zarek put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't do it, Sunshine. You can't ever trust a god."

 

"Sure you can," Styxx said. "Trusting them is the best thing I ever did."

 

"I don't know," she breathed, searching her heart and mind, trying to decide what she should do.

 

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One instant they were on Bourbon Street, the next they were outside a warehouse. "What did you do?" Talon asked, wondering how many people had seen them vanish.

 

"I'm doing what I have to. Don't worry, no one saw us leave or arrive. I don't make those kinds of mistakes."

 

Talon hoped so. Ash held the door open for him and Talon led the way into the building. They were halfway through the main room when something akin to lightning flashed from upstairs. Screams rent the air. Talon lost his calm as he sprinted for the stairs with Ash hot on his heels. They rushed through a door and were almost run over by Zarek who was covered in blood and carrying Sunshine in his arms.

 

"What the hell?" Talon asked, terrified by the sight. "What happened to her?"

 

Before Zarek could answer, the door was blown from its frame. "Run!" Zarek shouted.

 

No one had a chance. A swarm of hideous winged demons flew into the room. Talon cursed. He'd never seen anything like them. They were the colour of rust and screeched like banshees as they flew at them. They had three barbed tails that they wielded like whips. Acheron held his hands up and blasted them with electrical energy. They recoiled, but kept coming. "Get Sunshine out of here," Acheron ordered.

 

They headed back to the stairs only to find Daimons coming up from below. Talon tossed two srads, taking out four of the creatures, but it didn't even slow them down. "We're surrounded."

 

Acheron spoke in a language Talon couldn't understand. The demons paused and flew around as if dazed by his order. "It won't hold the demons for long," Ash shouted, his voice barely discernible over the ethereal flapping of wings and claps of thunder. Ash threw his hands up and the Daimons ran into what appeared to be an invisible barrier between them.

 

Talon led Zarek down the hallway, hoping to find another way out of the building. He shoved open a door to a smaller room.

 

"I think she's dying." Zarek's voice sent an electric chill through him.

 

"She's not dying."

 

"Talon, I think she's dying," he repeated.

 

The demons forgotten, Talon took her from Zarek's arms and laid her carefully on the floor. Her face was so pale that it shook him. "Sunshine?" he breathed, his heart pounding. "Baby, can you look at me?"

 

She did, but instead of the vibrancy he was used to seeing, he saw pain and deep regret. "You're free, Talon," she whispered. "I made him break the curse."

 

"What?"

 

"She traded her soul to Camulus so that he would set you free." Zarek curled his lip at him. "I told her not to do it, that it was a trick. She didn't listen and as soon as she agreed, the bastard blasted her."

 

Talon choked. "No!" he roared at both of them. "Sunshine, why?"

 

"He said he would kill you. I thought he would just take my soul, Talon. I didn't know he would do this. I didn't know he couldn't take possession of my soul without killing me first."

 

Talon tore the medallion from Sunshine's neck. "Damn you, Morrigan," he shouted, throwing it against the wall. "How could you forsake her too?"

 

She pressed her cold hand to his lips, "Shh, baby. Don't say that. It's my fault."

 

"I told her there's always a catch. But she didn't ask the right questions."

 

Tears flowed down Talon's cheeks as he watched her struggle to breathe. Over and over in his mind he remembered every moment of their time together, both in this life and her previous one. He saw Sunshine's bright, tender face the first time they had made love. Saw her wrestling for her easel with Beth. Heard her singing "Puff the Magic Dragon" as she doodled. He took her hands into his and kissed them, with their smell of paint, turpentine, and patchouli. Hands that created breathtaking works of art. Hands that could tear him apart with a simple touch... "I'm not going to lose you again," he breathed. "Not like this."

 

Zarek came forward. "What are you doing, Celt?"

 

"Get away from me."

 

Talon placed his hands over her chest wound and closed his eyes. He forced himself to calm down, forced his emotions to leave him, and then he summoned his Dark-Hunter powers, and let them wash through him. His immortal strength flowed, surged. It swelled up and moved from his hands into her body. His arms burned as he, in turn, absorbed her injury into his own chest. Normally, it would hurt when he did this. Tonight, the pain was crippling because this wound wasn't a small injury. It was mortal. Gasping from the wrenching agony of his heart being pierced, Talon fell back, away from her, only to be caught and then he felt energy surge through him, the pain dulled but he knew the wound was still there.

 

Sunshine lay still, waiting for the pain to return. It didn't. Afraid she was already dead, she reached up to touch her chest where Camulus's blast had struck her. There was no longer a wound there. "Talon?" She sat up to see Zarek staring at him. "Oh God, no!" she shrieked as she saw Talon lying in a strangers’ arms, bleeding. She scrambled to his side and gently cupped his face. "What have you done?"

 

"He took your injuries into his own body," Zarek explained. "Now, instead of you dying, he will."

 

"No, Talon, no! Please don't die," she begged.

 

"Shh," Talon said quietly. "It's okay."

 

Ash came running through the door, took one look at them and cursed. "What happened?"

 

"He took her injuries. I’m all out of phoenix tears and this is beyond my skills.” Harry answered, he’d come as soon as he’d finished his fight as he’d felt first Sunshine and then Talon in mortal danger. “I’ve bought him some time but that’s it.”

 

Something struck the door. Hard. "Don't worry," Ash said. "I have a shield on the room. The gods can't pop in here until they breach it."

 

"Yeah, but at the rate they're going, they'll have the door knocked down any second," Zarek said. He pushed Ash toward Talon. "Go, get him out of here. I've got your backs."

 

"You sure?" Ash asked. Zarek nodded.

 

"So help me, Slave," Dionysus snarled from the other side of the door. "I'll see you obliterated for this."

 

Zarek laughed coldly. "Come get some."

 

Ash opened the door on the opposite side of the room. Harry looked from Zarek to Ash, silently questioning and Ash shook his head, this was Zarek’s fight for now. Between an injured, dying Celt and his woman Ash would need Harry’s help. Sunshine was terrified. She didn't know what was happening. She still couldn't believe Zarek had turned around and helped them. Nor could she think past the sight of Talon covered in blood. Everything was happening so fast that she wanted to run away and hide. But she couldn't. Talon needed her to be strong for him and she refused to fail him.

 

As she started away from Zarek, he called out to her. "Hey, Sunshine?" She looked back at him. "Thanks for the bowl." Then he turned around to wait for the gods to break through Ash's barrier and the door.

 

Amazed by his actions, Sunshine ran to help Ash and Harry carry Talon down the hallway and into the last room on the left. They laid him carefully on the floor, then Ash used his powers to seal the room.

 

Sunshine's hand shook as she knelt beside Talon. He was pale and trembling. His entire body was coated with sweat and blood. "Hold on, baby," she whispered, not sure if he could even hear her now. "He's immortal, right?" she asked Ash. "He'll be fine."

 

Ash shook his head. "His heart is pierced. When it stops beating, he'll die. Again."

 

His face grim, Ash looked up at the ceiling. "Artemis!" he shouted. "Get your ass here, right now." A flash of light almost blinded Sunshine as the goddess appeared beside her.

 

Artemis gave Acheron a furious glare. "What is your problem?"

 

"I need Talon's soul. Now."

 

She laughed incredulously at him. "Excuse me, Acheron, but you haven't paid the price for it"

 

"Dammit, Artie, he's dying. I don't have time to negotiate."

 

She shrugged. "Then heal him."

 

"I can't and you know it. It's a mortal god-bolt wound. I'm not allowed to interfere with that."

 

Sunshine felt an electric ripple flow through the room. Rage darkened her sight as she stared at the selfish goddess. Sunshine started to lunge at her, but Harry caught her and pulled her back. Sunshine trembled in fear and anger. Harry too felt rage at seeing the goddess who had hurt Ash so much. But he had no idea if his magic would work on a goddess and didn’t want to risk angering her further while Talon’s life hung in the balance.

 

"Give it to me, now." Acheron's deep voice sounded like thunder. "Do it and I'll give you a week of total submission."

 

A calculating gleam darkened Artemis's eyes. "Give me two."

 

Sunshine saw the fury and resignation on Ash's face. "Done."

 

Artemis held her hand out and a large maroon stone appeared in her palm. When Ash went to take it, Artemis pulled it out of his reach. "You will come to me at dawn."

 

"I will, I swear it." Ash’s words sent a chill down Harry’s spine. He really, really didn’t like the sound of that at all.

 

Artemis smiled in satisfaction, then handed the stone to Ash. Ash returned to Talon. Then, he met Sunshine's gaze. "Sunshine, you're going to have to take this into your hand and hold it over the brand mark until his soul is released back into his body." She reached for it, but Talon caught her wrist. She hadn't even known he was still conscious until she felt his weakened grip on her arm.

 

"She can't, Ash."

 

"Talon!" she said, angered that he was stopping her. "What are you doing?"

 

"No, Sunshine," Talon whispered, his voice strained. "If you take that, it will scar your hand. It could leave you unable to draw or paint ever again."

 

Her greatest fear. She looked into Talon's pain-filled eyes. Her greatest love. There was no contest. She grabbed the stone from Ash's hand, then cried out as it seared her flesh. Harry moved, pillowing Talon’s head on his thighs so he could look up at Sunshine more easily. He hated being so helpless but only Sunshine could save him now.

 

"Watch Talon's eyes." She heard Ash's voice inside her head. "And for Zeus's sake, please don't let go of his soul. Focus..." She did and the pain lessened, but still she could feel the fire of the stone searing her hand.

 

Time stood still as she stared into Talon's jet-black eyes. Memories of this life and of their former one merged in her mind. She flashed back to her own death, to Talon holding her close. She leaned down and kissed him. "I'm with you, love." Talon took his last breath and relaxed. Her own heart stopped beating as raw terror consumed her. Please, please, let this work!

 

Ash placed her hand over Talon's bow-and-arrow brand mark. Slowly, the heat faded and the stone turned dull in colour. Still, her hand burned. When it was completely cold, she dropped the stone and waited. Talon didn't move. He didn't breathe. He lay there, completely still and unresponsive to her.

 

"Talon?" she asked, her entire body shaking with the fear that he was gone. Harry moved his hand to feel for a pulse, had something gone wrong? Just when she was sure he was dead, he drew a deep breath and opened his eyes. Sunshine let out a joyful cry as she saw his amber eyes. She hugged him close as the door behind them flew open.

 

The Daimons, the demons, and the two gods spilled into the room. There was no sign of Zarek anywhere. She only hoped they hadn't killed him. Talon jumped up and put himself between Sunshine and the others. Ash rose to his feet, ready to fight. Harry moved to flank Ash, the recovered blade of Gryffindor now in his hand, maybe gods were vulnerable to basilisk venom too, he could hope.

 

"It's midnight," Dionysus said with a laugh. "Let the show begin."

 

The demons moved aside and out of their midst appeared Acheron's "twin." "Hello, Acheron," Styxx said in a tone that was neither kind nor welcoming. "It's been a while, hasn't it? Eleven thousand years or so?"

 

Talon held his breath. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had suspected as much, but now the reality of it came crashing down on him. Ash had had a twin brother all this time. Why had he hidden it? And how could Styxx still be alive and not be a Dark-Hunter too? It didn't make sense. Styxx approached Acheron.

 

Harry stared at the twin he had never met all those years ago. Ash had never spoken of his sibling back then and had barely spoken of him in explaining what he suspected was happening now. Despite the small amount of information Harry was pretty sure he hated this man almost as much as he had Bellatrix.

 

"Stand down, Styxx," Ash said sternly. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to. I won't let you release her."

 

Styxx met Talon's gaze and laughed. "It's like some bad soap opera, isn't it? Good twin, bad twin." His furious gaze returned to Acheron. "But then, we're not really twins, are we, Acheron? We just happened to have shared the same womb for a while." Styxx moved to stand behind Ash who tensed noticeably. It wasn't like Ash to allow anyone, except Harry, to do that to him and yet he appeared to be frozen by some unseen force. Styxx was so close to him that barely a hand separated them. They didn't touch. Styxx leaned forward to speak in a low tone near Ash's ear. "Shall we tell him who the good one is, Acheron? Should I tell him which of us lived his life with dignity? Which of us was respected by the Greeks and Atlanteans and who was laughed at?"

 

Styxx reached his hand around Ash's neck and placed it in the exact spot where Ash's scar often resided. He pulled Ash back against him so that he could whisper in Ash's ear in a language Talon couldn't understand but Harry did. Ash panted as if in the throes of a nightmare. His eyes were haunted and glazed, his breathing ragged. Still he didn't move to break Styxx's hold.

 

Talon watched, unsure of what he should do. Surely Ash could handle this. He'd never known of anything Ash couldn't handle.

 

"That's it, Acheron," Styxx said in English, between clenched teeth. "Remember the past. Remember what you were. I want you to relive it all. Relive every foul thing you ever did. Every tear you made my parents weep for you. Every moment I had to look at you and feel ashamed that you bore my face."

 

Talon watched as tears filled Ash's eyes and he trembled. He didn't know what secrets Ash hid, but they must be hideous to affect him like this.

 

Personally, he didn't care what Ash had done in his past. For fifteen hundred years, he had never known Ash to be anything but caring and decent.

 

Secrets or not, the two of them were friends.

 

"Let him go," Harry snarled angrily, magic visibly swirling around him. enough was enough.

 

Styxx cocked his head, but he refused to release Ash. He tightened his grip on Ash's throat. "Do you remember when Estes died, Acheron? The way my father and I found you? I have never been able to forget it. Every time I have ever thought of you, it's the image I have. You're repulsive. Disgusting."

 

"Kill him," Dionysus ordered, "and open the portal."

 

Styxx didn't seem to hear him, his attention was fixed on Ash.

 

Camulus started toward them with a dagger. Talon rushed him and they fought for the weapon. The demons attacked as Styxx continued to taunt and insult Ash.

 

"Kill him, Styxx," Dionysus ordered again. "Or we'll miss the portal."

 

Styxx pulled a dagger out from underneath his coat.

 

His fight with Camulus forgotten, Talon tried to reach them. But he couldn't make it.

 

Styxx raised his hand and sent the dagger straight into Ash's heart. He buried it all the way to its hilt, except it wasn’t Ash the dagger impaled but Harry who had managed to switch places at the last second. He gasped and then coughed up blood and Ash unfroze.

 

“NO!” he screamed as Harry collapsed and Styxx stared in confusion. Ash moved catching his onetime Master, lover and friend. The dagger shot through the air, bouncing off a wall above Dionysus's head but Ash didn’t even look, eyes locked with pained emerald.

 

In the next instant a shock wave went through the room, knocking everyone off their feet. Styxx was hurled to a far corner while the gods were pinned to the ground. Acheron rose from the floor, to hover spread-eagled several inches above it even as Harry slumped to the ground, unmoving. Unable to stand upright against the unseen force, Talon crawled too Sunshine and held her close so that he could protect her from whatever was happening. No one could stand. Not even the gods.

 

Lightning bolts shot through Acheron's body, blowing out the windows and the lights. Electrical energy snapped and hissed all around. Acheron laid his head back as bolts of light pierced his eyes and mouth. They seemed to shoot through him and then out, into the room, emitting bright flashes of light.

 

The Daimons and the demons exploded in one bright flash. A winged dragon seemed to come out from under Acheron's sleeve and wrap itself around him as if it were protecting him. Or perhaps devouring him.

 

In all his life, Talon had never seen anything like this. But for some reason he didn’t find it at all surprising that nothing touched Harry’s body.

 

"What the hell is that?" Camulus asked. "Styxx, what did you do?"

 

"Nothing. Is this from the portal opening?"

 

"No," Dionysus said. "This is something else entirely. Something no one told me about." He looked up at the ceiling and shouted, "Artemis!"

 

Artemis appeared and was immediately pinned to the floor with the rest of them. Talon tightened his grip on Sunshine, who clutched him fiercely as she trembled against him. Artemis took one look at Acheron and her face went flush with anger. "Who's the idiot who pissed off Acheron?" she demanded. The two gods pointed to Styxx. "You fools!" she snarled. "What were you thinking?"

 

"We needed to kill an Atlantean to raise the Destroyer," Dionysus said. "Acheron's the only one left."

 

"Oh, you are so stupid!" Artemis snapped. "I knew your plan had to be a bad one. You can't just kill him with a dagger. In case you haven't noticed, he's not human. Where was your brain?"

 

Dionysus curled his lips at her. "How was I to know your pet was a god-killer? What kind of idiot ties herself down to one of his kind? Besides the dagger ended up in the dead guy, not Acheron."

 

"Well, gee, what was I supposed to do?" Artemis shot back. "Hook up with Mr. All-powerful God-killer or get myself a Mardi Gras float and hang out with him?" She pointed to Camulus, who looked extremely offended by her comment. "You're such a moron," she said to her brother. "No wonder you're the patron god of drunken frat boys."

 

"Excuse me," Talon snapped at them. "Could you gods focus for a sec? We have a bit of a situation here."

 

"Oh, shut up," Dionysus snapped. "I knew I should have backed up when I ran you over."

 

Talon's jaw went slack. "That was you who hit me with the float?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Damn, boy," Camulus said to Dionysus. "You've fallen a long way down. Yesterday Greek god... today incompetent float driver. Sheez, and I hooked up with you? What was I thinking? Artemis is right, what kind of idiot picks a float to mow a guy down so that he can go home with his dead wife? You're lucky you didn't kill him then and blow the entire plan."

 

"Hey, have you ever tried to drive one of those things? It's not exactly easy. Besides, he's a Dark-Hunter. I knew it wouldn't kill him. I just needed something that would hurt him enough to make her take him home. Need I remind you that it did work?"

 

Artemis growled at them. "You're so pathetic. I can't believe we share a common gene between us." Shooting a nasty glare at her brother, Artemis struggled against the invisible force that held them down. Like the rest of them, she couldn't reach Ash. "Acheron!" she called. "Can you hear me?"

 

Disembodied laughter filled the room. Ash leaned his head forward and more lightning flowed through him. The dragonlike beast tightened its grip around him and hissed a fiery breath at the goddess. Artemis tried to climb up his leg, but she was forced back, away from him.

 

"You know, folks," Camulus shouted. "The idea was to kill Acheron, free Apollymi, and reclaim our god status. Not piss him off and end the world. Personally, I don't want to be ruler of nothing. But if someone doesn't stop this guy, that chant he's making is going to undo life as we know it and un-create the world."

 

"What are we going to do?" Sunshine asked Talon.

 

Only one thing came to his mind. He had to bring Acheron to his senses. Talon kissed her lips, then moved away from her. He hadn't gone through death to get her back, only to lose her now. He summoned his remaining powers and allowed them to cocoon him. He no longer had his Dark-Hunter immortality, but he did retain all the psychic powers that had been given to him. Hopefully they would be enough. He rose slowly to his feet. A lightning bolt came at him. Talon deflected it. He moved slowly through the maelstrom until he reached Ash's side. So long as he stayed calm, he seemed to be shielded from Ash's wrath. "Let it go, T-Rex."

 

Ash spoke to him in a language he didn't understand. "He says to back off or die," Styxx translated. "He's summoning the Destroyer."

 

"I can't let you do that," Talon said. The laughter echoed again. Wanting to distract Acheron from what he was chanting, and not knowing anything else to try, Talon rushed him. He caught Ash about the middle and knocked him to the floor. The dragon arched up, shrieking. Talon ignored it as he slugged Ash.

 

Sunshine held her breath as she watched the two of them fighting. The entire building felt as if it were going to break apart. The floor beneath her shook. They were locked together like two great primal beasts and the fate of the world lay in who would win and who would lose. She whispered a prayer as she watched them, awed by the morbid beauty and grace of their battle.

 

Zarek came through the door, bleeding, and was immediately thrown backward, against a wall.

 

Artemis tried again to reach Acheron and again he tossed her back while he fought with Talon.

 

"I'll give the boy credit," Camulus said. "He always was a fighter." Talon stopped fighting as he heard those words. "You never could learn your place, Speirr. You never knew when you should just lay down the sword and play nice." Camulus had been right. Up until now, Talon had never known when to fight and when to withdraw.

 

Being calm was what had allowed him to reach Ash. Then, he remembered what Acheron had said to him on the night he'd become a Dark-Hunter. "I can show you how to bury that pain so deep inside you that it will prick you no more. But be warned that nothing is ever given freely and nothing lasts forever. One day something will come along to make you feel again and with it, it will bring the pain of the ages upon you. All you have hidden will come out and it could destroy not only you but anyone near you." He wondered now who those words had really been meant for. Him or Ash? He looked up at Acheron and saw the fury of the man who was attacking him. This was what Ash had meant that night. Both of them had kept such a leash on themselves for so long that their fury blinded them to reason. It made them attack when they needed to withdraw and rethink the line of battle.

 

Closing his eyes, Talon summoned the soothing calm, as Acheron had taught him. Ash rushed him again. This time, instead of fighting, Talon embraced him like a brother. Possessed of a strength and power Talon had never known before, he cupped Ash's face in his hands and tried to make his old friend see him.

 

Ash's features were no longer handsome or human. They were those of a twisted demon. His eyes were blood-red and yellow, and there was no mercy in them. They were cold. Vicious. The colours swirled and danced like fire. Talon had never seen anything like this before. Who knew Ash had this kind of power? But he had to stop him. One way or another.

 

"Acheron," a weak voice called. "Enough."

 

Everyone looked down in shock at where Harry lay, still alive although very pale. He was ever so slowly levering himself up onto his elbows and Sunshine crawled over to support him.

 

"Harry," he rasped hoarsely. Ash's eyes flickered, then he looked back at Talon who was still holding onto him.

 

Suddenly, another shock wave shot through the room, this one in the reverse direction from the first. It was as if the unleashed power were drawing back into Acheron. The dragon shot up toward the ceiling, then vanished.

 

Ash's features transformed back into the face of the man Talon had known these centuries past. Ash blinked his now silver eyes and looked around as if he were waking up from a nightmare.

 

Without a single comment, Ash stepped away from Talon, wrapped his arms around his chest, and fell to his knees beside Harry and Sunshine. Harry struggled up and gently put his hands on Ash’s shoulders and to the shock of everyone Ashe actually leant into his touch.

 

Artemis turned on her brother with a snarl. "Just you wait till Dad gets his hands on you."

 

"Me? He knew what I had planned tonight. Wait until I tell him about Acheron!"

 

Artemis curled her lip. "Oh, shut up, whiny boy." She held her hand out and zapped him out of the room. Styxx shrank back as Artemis turned her gaze to him. "You," she said, her tone thick with loathing.

 

Styxx gulped audibly. "How can you protect something like him? After I died, I was sent to the Elysian Fields while he was-"

 

"No concern of yours," she said, interrupting him. "You and your precious family, you turned your backs on him and condemned him for something that wasn't his fault."

 

"Not his fault? Please." Styxx tried to say something more, but his voice vanished.

 

"That's better," Artemis said. "Funny, the two of you sound alike and yet you whine. Thank Zeus, Acheron doesn't have that repugnant quality. But then, he was always a man and not a snivelling little child." She backed Styxx against the wall. "I can't believe you. I gave you a perfect existence. Your own island, filled with everything you could ever desire, and what did you do? You've spent eternity hating Acheron, plotting ways to kill him. You don't deserve mercy."

 

"You can't kill me," Styxx squeaked out. "If you do, Acheron dies too."

 

"And I curse the day the Fates bound your life force to his." She narrowed her eyes at him as if she wanted nothing more than to splinter him where he stood. "You're right. I can't kill you, but I can make living a worse hell than anything you can imagine."

 

"What are you going to do to me?" Styxx asked.

 

She smiled evilly. "You'll see, little human, you'll see." Styxx vanished. Artemis turned to face them. She took a deep breath and seemed to calm down exponentially. "Take care of your soul, Speirr," she said to Talon. "Know that it was purchased for you at a very dear cost." Then she too vanished.

 

That left them alone with Camulus.

 

"Well," Talon said to the Celtic god. "It appears your friends have abandoned you."

 

Camulus sighed. "What a pity. Excess, War, and Destruction. Together, we would have had a high time on earth. Oh well. I shall just have to content myself with taking her from you again. After all, she gave me her soul and now I wish to claim it. And of course, the fun thing about souls, they can only be claimed from a dead body." Camulus started for her. Talon pulled his srads out ready to do battle.

 

Out of nowhere, a bright flash lit the room. It faded into a form that was almost as dear to Sunshine as Talon's. "Grammy?" Sunshine asked in disbelief moving to stand since Ash and Harry were supporting each other.

 

Her grandmother stepped between them and Camulus. She faced the Celtic god with a stern glower. " 'Fraid not, hon. You don't own bupkis."

 

Camulus was aghast at her appearance. "Morrigan? What are you doing here? This doesn't concern you."

 

"Oh yes, it does." Her grandmother transformed from a little old lady into the beautiful war goddess Talon had met in his days as a mortal man. Talon went cold.

 

Sunshine sputtered. "Excuse me? What is this?"

 

Her grandmother looked at Sunshine apologetically. "I didn't mean for you to find out this way, Little Bit, but Acheron and I had to stop them from unleashing Apollymi. And to get Talon free, we needed the two of you here to face Camulus."

 

Talon gaped. Ash had known all about this? Why hadn't he told him?

 

The Morrigan turned back to Camulus. "Sorry, Cam. For once you forgot to read the fine print. You agreed with Bran to let Nynia be reborn to mortal parents for your scheme. You never specified that her grandparents be mortal too.

 

"Since I couldn't help Speirr escape your curse and his bargain without declaring war on you and Artemis, I figured the least I could do was return his wife to him in the body of someone you couldn't touch. Nynia now reborn as Sunshine is flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood. When Speirr drank from her neck, he took my blood into him and now he, too, has my protection." Camulus cursed. Her grandmother wrinkled her nose. "It just reeks, doesn't it? You can't kill her or him unless you want to fight me."

 

Talon exchanged a stunned look with Sunshine.

 

"One day, Morrigan. One day..." Camulus flashed out of the room.

 

The Morrigan took a deep breath, then turned around to face them. "Congratulations, kids."

 

"I'm free?" Talon asked, still unable to believe it.

 

The Morrigan nodded. "With your Dark-Hunter powers intact."

 

Sunshine hesitated. "Is he still a Dark-Hunter?"

 

"No," her grandmother said. "Artemis released him from his vow when she gave up his soul. Once psychic powers are bestowed on someone, they remain with them forever."

 

Sunshine smiled. "So he can go out into daylight now?"

 

"Yes." The Morrigan looked suddenly uncomfortable. "By the way, there's something I need to tell you two."

 

"What?" they asked in unison, both of them afraid of what she might say.

 

"Because of the way our pantheon works, the two of you are..." She bit her lip and wrung her hands.

 

"We are what?" Talon prompted, terrified of what was coming next. When dealing with a god, one could never be too careful.

 

"You're immortal unless you renounce it."

 

Sunshine blinked. "What?"

 

Her grandmother cleared her throat. "You and your brothers were born immortal, sweetie. It's why you still look like a baby even though you're pushing thirty."

 

"Does that mean Mom's immortal too?" she asked.

 

"No. Since your father isn't, she decided that she would give up her immortality to age with him. But since it was my blood that gave her immortality, it was passed on from her to you and then from you to Talon."

 

Joy ripped through Talon. "You mean I never have to watch her die again?"

 

"Never. Not unless you choose to."

 

"Oh hell no," Talon said, laughing.

 

"I figured as much." The Morrigan stepped back. "Well, I'm sure the two of you have a lot to do. Like plan a wedding. Go make lots of babies." She took their hands into hers and then pressed them together. "I expect a large number of great-grandkids from you two."

 

The Morrigan vanished, leaving them to stare at each other in wonderment.

 

Sunshine licked her lips as she stared up at him. She couldn't believe everything that had happened tonight. Most of all, she couldn't believe she had Talon for her own. "So what's our first course of action?"

 

That familiar look came into his amber eyes. "Try to make a baby?"

 

She laughed at him. "Sounds good, but it'll probably take us the rest of the night to get back to your cabin."

 

"True, but your loft isn't that far away..."

 

Sunshine smiled. "No, it isn't." He kissed her hand and then led her from the room. They left the building and blended into the monstrous crowd of Mardi Gras celebrants who were heading home. Sunshine's heart was light as they walked hand in hand, until they reached the street. Gasping, she pulled Talon back as a giant float narrowly missed him. Then she burst out laughing. "What is it with you and the Mardi Gras floats?"

 

"It's not the floats, love, it's you. Whenever you're around, everything else fades from my notice."

 

She bit her lip impishly. "You keep talking like that and I'll definitely take you home, lock you up, and throw away the key."

 

"That's fine with me, just make sure you're naked when you do it."

 

Harry watched them go and then carefully stood, pulling Ash with him. “You with me?” He asked and Ash stared at him.

 

“You died again.”

 

“No, just got really close to it. Given time magic can heal nearly anything.” He shrugged. “Sometimes being crazy powerful has its advantages.” He admitted and Ash pulled him into a hug.

 

“I don’t want to lose you again.” He whispered and Harry smiled.

 

“You won’t, not for a long time.” Harry promised. Ash smiled and looked to where Zarek was retreating. “I really need a shower. You go do what you have to.” Harry vanished and Ash walked out of the room.

 

Zarek watched as Talon and Sunshine vanished into the crowd. He was happy for Sunshine, but he couldn't understand what the two of them felt for one another. He'd never known any kind of love. "Fuck it," he snarled, limping away from the building. He needed to get back to his townhouse.

 

"Dionysus will be coming for you."

 

He paused at the sound of Acheron's voice behind him. "So?"

 

Ash sighed as he drew near. "Can we not have a truce?"

 

Zarek scoffed at the thought. "Why? Mutual disdain suits us so well."

 

"Z, I'm too tired for this. Give me something to use with Artemis. Something that will make her want to give you another chance at civilisation."

 

Zarek laughed bitterly. "Yeah, right. After what I saw in there you don't honestly expect me to believe that she pulls your chain, do you? How stupid do I look?"

 

"Things aren't always what they seem."

 

Maybe, but Zarek wasn't willing to give on this. He'd screwed himself royally tonight. The moment he had turned on the gods, he'd known they would make him pay. Not that he cared. Let them come for him. "Look," he said, turning his back to Acheron, "I'm tired and hungry, and I just want to lie down until my injuries heal, okay?"

 

"Okay."

 

Zarek paused as a group of college students stumbled past, laughing and teasing each other. He watched them curiously. They turned a corner and vanished. He looked around at the drunken tourists and locals who were screaming and cheering. It was almost one a.m. now and still the city was alive and vibrant even though the crowd was being told to disperse.

 

"When do I go back?" Zarek asked, dreading the answer.

 

"Tomorrow. Nick'll be by to pick you up about two. He'll have a tinted van that can get you out to the airstrip without exposing you to daylight."

 

Zarek closed his eyes and winced as he thought about returning to Alaska. A few weeks more and spring would arrive. He'd be housebound again. A flash to his left caught his attention. Three seconds later, a Daimon came running through the crowd. The Daimon flashed his fangs and snarled at Zarek as if he had no idea who or what he was facing. Zarek smiled evilly, anticipating what he was about to do.

 

"What are you?" the Daimon asked when he failed to scare or intimidate him.

 

Zarek quirked his lips. "Oh please, let me give you the job description. Me, Dark-Hunter. You, Daimon. I hit, you bleed. I kill, you die."

 

"Not this time." The Daimon attacked.

 

Acting on instinct, Zarek caught him in the throat and used his claw to kill him. The Daimon evaporated as Valerius came running up through the crowd. The Roman was breathing hard and had obviously been chasing after the Daimon for some distance. Valerius looked at Ash and inclined his head, then he glanced to Zarek and froze. Zarek met his shocked gaze without flinching. Recognition darkened Valerius' eyes as he stood there without blinking, it only took him a few centuries to realise. Zarek gave him a wry smile. "Surprise," he said quietly. "Bet you didn't see that one coming." Without another word, he headed off into the crowd, leaving Valerius and Acheron to their own ends.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry collapsed on his bed in only a pair of sleep pants, still damp but not caring. His hand went to the skin over his heart. Despite the show he’d put on for Ash he wasn’t healed, not yet. He could all of his magic surrounding the hole in his heart, regrowing the tissue. He had honestly expected to die when he felt the blade pierce him, this wasn’t like the time in the forest, he had no tie keeping him here. So how had he survived long enough for his magic to rally? He rolled onto his side and closed his eyes, he was skipping class tomorrow.

 

_TBC…._


	11. ch11

_Disclaimer: still not mine_

**Chapter 11**

Ash appeared silently and stared down at the sole occupant of the bed. Harry lay curled on his side, fast asleep. It could almost be that night eleven thousand years ago when he had come to Harry and offered himself to him. Except this time Harry had nearly died for real, taking a knife meant for him. The blade wouldn’t have killed him, everything probably would have happened the same except Harry wouldn’t have been injured.

 

Green eyes opened as Harry became aware he was no longer alone but he felt no danger. He looked over to find Ash standing at the foot of his bead, head down and looking very much like the young, scared slave he had once been. He sat up and hesitated before taking a deep breath. “Ash?” He called softly and Ash slowly looked at him. Harry held his hand out to him and Ash ever so slowly raised his own. Harry gently clasped his hand and used it to tug him onto the bed.

 

Ash allowed Harry to pull him down onto the bed and then he felt his boots and jacket vanish. He was shaking slightly and he couldn’t stop it, he shouldn’t be reacting like this! He felt Harry curl around him, the heat of his body warming him and for once didn’t tense at someone at his back. This was Harry, who had known him when he was nothing, had cared for him and taught him so much. Harry wrapped an arm around his waist and he felt his body relaxing in the familiar embrace.

 

“It’s okay, I’m here. Just rest.” Harry whispered, pulling the covers over them and to his surprise Ash found himself falling asleep.

 

Ash woke slowly, feeling safer than he had since he was mortal, the heat of Harry’s body plastered to his back. He found the clock and grimaced, it would be dawn too soon, he didn’t want to leave this for what he knew awaited him but he had no choice, he had given his word and he could not break his word. He began working to get up without waking Harry but he felt the wizard tighten his grip.

 

“Still early.” He mumbled and Ash smiled slightly.

 

“I have to go.” He answered, managing to sit up. Harry had never been a morning person; it was nice to see that hadn’t changed.

 

“Why?” Harry asked, finally opening his eyes to blink up at him.

 

“I gave my word.”

 

Harry frowned and then remembered the conversation while he’d fought to keep Talon alive. “Artemis.” Ash nodded.

 

“Ash you aren’t really going to do it, are you?”

 

“I don’t have a choice Harry; I am bound by my word.” He honestly didn’t want to leave but he literally had no other choice. He glanced towards the window to see things beginning to lighten.

 

Harry sat up as well and glanced outside. “Need me to hold the fort?” He asked, trying for teasing but sounding worried.

 

“You have class.”

 

“I happen to be a great multi tasker.”

 

“I’ll see you in two weeks.” Ash promised and then vanished and Harry slumped back down. That was the best sleep he’d had since returning to the present. He hated letting him go back to that bitch.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry walked into Sanctuary and smiled at Aimee who smiled back in relief. “Harry!” She ran around the bar to look him over.

 

“What?” he asked in confusion.

 

“Rumours running rampant that you were stabbed right through the heart.” She answered and he winced.

 

“Ah. Yes, well.”

 

“It’s not true obviously or he wouldn’t be here.” Dev pointed out even as Harry ran a hand nervously through his hair. “Right?”

 

“Not exactly.” He sat at the bar as the siblings huddled in. Out of all the Peltier’s he knew and got along best with them. “Ash was going to be stabbed in the heart so I took the blow instead.” He absently rubbed his chest. “I…I don’t know how it didn’t kill me, I could feel it in my heart but when it was pulled out I was okay.” The two bears stared at him in shock.

 

“You sure you’re human?” Dev asked and Harry shrugged.

 

“Far as I know.”

 

“So where is Ash, you two have been pretty inseparable lately.”

 

“He had to leave the country for a while, I promised to not let New Orleans blow up till he’s back, which should be in about two weeks.” Harry said lightly, not wanting them to know how worried he was. Nick eventually joined him at the bar and ordered some food even as his mother began her shift.

 

Nick wasn’t sure what to think of Harry. He had just shown up and suddenly he and Acheron were best of friends. It had taken Nick years to become Ash’s friend and yet this guy did it in weeks. And he was weird, he wasn’t a Were-Hunter or Dark-Hunter but Ash trusted him to help out during the trouble with Talon. And according to Kyrian who’d heard from Talon, Harry had been there during the fight. So he couldn’t be human, right? He watched Harry wave to Aimee and then leave the bar before turning back to his meal.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry jerked awake and looked around but was alone in his living room where he’d fallen asleep on the couch earlier. There was nothing out of place, his wards were undisturbed but… he looked at the coffee table and then recognised the handwriting on the folded note. He picked it up and opened it to find three words in Ash’s hand; _Zarek_ , _Aleska_ and _trouble_. He sighed and got up, grabbing his emergency travel bag before reaching out for the tracker he’d put on the man and disillusioning himself before apparating. Except instead of appearing near Zarek he found himself in a town with several Squires milling about as well as a familiar Dark Hunter.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Thanatos pounded on the door of the remote cabin. On the other side of the door, he could hear low, panicked voices; Apollites rushing to hide their women and children. Apollites who lived in fear of anyone who came seeking them. "I am the light of the lyre," Thanatos said, speaking words only an Apollite or Daimon would know. Words that were used whenever a Daimon or Apollite sought another of his or her kind for shelter. The phrase was a reference to their kinship to Apollo, the god of the sun, who had cursed and abandoned them.

 

"How is it you walk in the daylight?" It was a woman's voice. One filled with fear.

 

"I'm the Dayslayer. Open the door."

 

"How do we know that?" This time it was a man who spoke.

 

Thanatos growled low in his throat. Why did he want to help these people? They were worthless. But then he knew. Once, long ago, he'd been one of them. He too would have been hiding, afraid of the Squires and Dark-Hunters. Afraid of the pitiful humans who came for them in the light of day... How he hated them all. "I am going to open this door," Thanatos warned them. "The only reason I knocked was so that you could unlock it and then get out of the way of the daylight before I enter. Now either unlock it or I'll kick it down." He heard the lock click. Taking a deep, calming breath, he pushed the door open slowly. As soon as he stepped inside and closed the door, a shovel came at his head. Thanatos grabbed it and jerked hard, pulling a woman out of the shadows.

 

"I won't let you hurt my children!"

 

He took the shovel from her and gave her a peeved glare. "Trust me, if I wanted to hurt them, you couldn't stop me. No one could. But I'm not here for that. I'm here to kill the Dark-Hunter who hunts your kindred." Relief washed over her beautiful face as she looked up at him as if he were an angel.

 

"Then you really are the Dayslayer." The voice was masculine.

 

Thanatos turned his head to see a Daimon male leave the shadows. The Daimon looked no older than his early twenties. Like all of his breed, the Daimon was a paragon of physical perfection. Beautiful in his youthfulness and physical bearing, his long blond hair was braided down his back. His right cheek was marked with three blood-red tears that had been tattooed there.

 

Thanatos knew his breed instantly. The Daimon was one of the rare Spathi warriors Thanatos had come seeking. "Are the tears for your children?"

 

The Daimon gave a curt nod. "Each was slain by a Dark-Hunter. And I in turn slew the Hunter."

 

Thanatos ached for the man. The Apollites had no real choice and yet they were punished because they dared to choose life over death. He wondered what the humans and Dark-Hunters would do if they were told they had one of two choices: die painfully in the midst of their youth, or take human souls and live. As a mere Apollite, Thanatos had been prepared to die. Just like his wife... Zarek had taken even that option away from his family. Insane, the Dark-Hunter had come through his village, laying waste to everyone in it. The men had barely been able to hide the women and children before Zarek had destroyed them all. No one who had come into Zarek's path had remained alive. No one. Zarek had killed Apollite and Daimon indiscriminately. And for that crime his only punishment had been banishment. Banished! Rage suffused him. How dare Zarek remain living in comfort all these centuries while the memory of that night festered eternally in Thanatos's heart. But he forced that hatred aside. This was no time to let his anger rule him. It was the time to be as cold and calculating as his enemy. "How old are you, Daimon?" Thanatos asked the Spathi.

 

"Ninety-four."

 

Thanatos arched a brow. "You've done well."

 

"Yes, I have. I grew tired of hiding."

 

He knew the feeling. There was nothing worse than being forced to live in the dark. Living life confined. "Have no fear. No Dark-Hunter will be after you. I'm here to make sure of it."

 

The man smiled. "We thought you were a myth."

 

"All good myths are rooted in reality and truth. Didn't your mother teach you that?"

 

The Spathi's eyes turned dark, haunted. "I was only three when she turned twenty-seven. She didn't have time to teach me anything at all."

 

Thanatos placed a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. "We will take this planet back, my brother. Rest assured, our day has come once more. I will summon the others of your kind and we will unite our armies. The humans have no one who can protect them now."

 

"What of the Dark-Hunters?" the woman asked.

 

Thanatos smiled. "They are bound to the night. I'm not. I can stalk them whenever I choose it." He laughed. "I am immune to their wounds. I am Death to them all and I am now home again with my people. Together, we will rule this earth and all who inhabit it."

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Zarek woke up to the smell of heaven. He would have thought he was dreaming, but his dreams were never so pleasant Lying in bed, he was afraid to move. Afraid the delicious aroma would prove to be a figment of his imagination. His stomach rumbled. He heard the wolf bark.

 

"Hush, Sasha. You'll wake our guest."

 

Zarek opened his eyes then. Guest. No one but Astrid had ever called him that before. His thoughts turned to the week he'd spent in New Orleans.

 

_"Am I staying with you and Kyrian or Nick?"_

_"We thought it best that you have your own place."_

Acheron's words had kicked something inside him he didn't even know he had anymore. No one had ever wanted him near them. He thought he'd learned to not care. And yet Astrid's simple words touched the same foreign part of him that Acheron's had. And then there’d been Harry, the young man Acheron had sent to see to his needs while in New Orleans. He’d seen him try and save Talon and then he’d taken a knife for Acheron. He’d saved Zarek from the police or having to break his oath again by harming humans in order to get away. He hadn’t seen Harry since the fight but like Sunshine he thought maybe he would have liked to say thank you, for the food, company and help. He shook those thoughts off and back onto his odd host. Getting out of bed, he dressed, then went to find her. Zarek stood in the doorway, watching her as she made pancakes in the microwave. She was amazingly self-sufficient given her blindness. The wolf looked at him and growled.

 

Astrid cocked her head as if listening to see if she could hear him. "Zarek? Are you in the room?"

 

"Doorway." He didn't know why he told her that. He didn't know why he was still here. Granted, the storm was still ferocious, but he'd journeyed through many such storms during the centuries when he had lived up here without modern conveniences. There was a time not that long ago when he would have had to scrounge for food in the dead of winter. Melt snow so that he would have something to drink.

 

"I've made pancakes. I don't know if you like them, but I have blueberry and maple syrup or fresh strawberries if you'd rather." He went to the counter and reached for a plate. "Sit, I'll bring it to you."

 

"No, princess," he said sharply. Having been forced to serve others, he refused to have anyone serve him. "I can fix it myself."

 

She held her hands up in surrender. "Fine, Prince Charming. If there's anything I can respect, it's those who take care of themselves."

 

"Why do you keep calling me that? Are you mocking me?"

 

She shrugged. "You call me 'princess,' I call you 'Prince Charming.' I figure turnabout is fair play."

 

Giving her a grudging amount of respect, he reached for the bacon that was lying on a saucer by the stove. "How do you fry this when you can't see it?"

 

"The microwave. I just push the timer for it."

 

The wolf came over and started sniffing at his leg. It looked up at him as if it were offended and started barking at him. "Shut up, Benji," he snarled. "I don't want to hear about my hygiene from someone who licks his own balls."

 

"Zarek!" Astrid gasped. "I can't believe you just said that."

 

He clenched his teeth. Fine, he wouldn't speak anymore. Silence was what he was best at anyway. The wolf whined and yapped.

 

"Shh," she soothed. "If he doesn't want to bathe, it's none of our business."

 

His appetite gone, Zarek set his plate on the table and returned to his room where he couldn't offend them anymore.

 

Astrid felt her way to the table, expecting to find Zarek there. All she found was his plate of uneaten food. "What happened?" she asked Sasha who flashed form wolf to human to speak to her softly enough the Hunter wouldn’t be able to hear.

 

"If he had feelings, I would say you hurt them. Like as not, he went back to the room to find a weapon so he can kill us."

 

"Sasha! Tell me what happened just now."

 

"Okay, he put the plate down and left." Sasha leant against the counter and quickly ate some of the pancakes, enjoying them more in human form.

 

"What did he look like?"

 

"Nothing. He didn't show any kind of emotion."

 

That didn't help her at all. She went after Zarek. Sasha just shrugged an finished eating before returning to wolf form.

 

"Go away," he snapped after she knocked on his door and pushed it open.

 

Astrid stood in the doorway, wishing she could see him. "What do you want, Zarek?"

 

"I..." his voice trailed off.

 

"You what?"

 

Zarek couldn't speak the truth. He wanted to be warm. Just once in his life, he wanted warmth. Not just physical but mental warmth. "I want to leave."

 

She sighed at his words. "You'll die if you go out there."

 

"So what if I do?"

 

"Does your life truly have no value or meaning to you?"

 

"No, it doesn't."

 

"Then why haven't you killed yourself?"

 

He snorted at that. "Why should I? The only enjoyment I have in my life is knowing I piss off everyone around me. If I were dead, it would make them all happy. God forbid I should ever do that."

 

To his surprise, she laughed. "I wish I could see your face to know if you were joking or not."

 

"Trust me, I'm not."

 

"Then I'm sorry for you. I wish you had something that made you happy."

 

Zarek looked away from her. Happy. He didn't even understand that word. It was as alien to him as kindness. Compassion. Love. Now there was a word that never entered his vocabulary. He couldn't imagine what others must feel. For love, Talon had almost died so that Sunshine could live. For love, Sunshine had bartered her soul to free Talon. All he knew was hatred, anger. It was the only thing that kept him warm. The only thing that kept him living. So long as he hated, he had a reason to live.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry grumbled mentally as he followed the group around, knowing they were looking for Zarek too. Something was keeping him from getting a precise enough lock to apparate to him and it was very annoying. Plus, it was freezing cold in Alaska and he wasn’t fond of snow after even Scottish winters. He’d been listening in on their conversation and he didn’t like it. They were going to kill Zarek, condemning him to eternity as a Shade and it wasn’t right. What had he done to deserve such a sentence? He’d done his job in New Orleans and everything had turned out well. He needed more information but Ash was stuck on Olympus, wonderful timing.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tears fell down Astrid's cheeks as she felt the warm strength of his hand on hers; as she saw his long, tapered fingers twined with hers. His hand was large, masculine and it enveloped hers with power. Those hands had killed, but they had also protected. They had cared for her and pleasured her. By this simple action, she knew she had finally made contact with him. She had just reached the unreachable. Then the contact was lost.

 

Zarek's face hardened as he jerked his hand away from hers. "I don't want to be changed. Not by you. Not by anyone." Snarling in anger, he pushed past her and marched out the door.

 

Astrid did something she had never done before. She cursed. Damn him for not staying. Damn him for being so stupid.

 

"I told you, he's a hard-ass."

 

She turned to see M'Adoc standing behind her, staring out the door after Zarek who was trudging shirtless through the snow. "How long have you been eavesdropping?" she asked the Oneroi.

 

"Not that long. I know when not to intrude on a dream."

 

She narrowed her eyes meaningfully at him. "You better."

 

Disregarding her and her unspoken threat, he moved to watch Zarek make his way across the snow. "So what are you going to do now?" he asked.

 

"Beat him with a stick until he listens to reason."

 

"You wouldn't be the first one to try that," M'Adoc said dryly. "The thing is, he's immune to it."

 

She let out a long, weary breath. It was true. "I don't know what to do," she confessed. "I feel so helpless where he's concerned."

 

Something sagelike flickered behind M'Adoc's pale glowing eyes. "You shouldn't have trapped him here or yourself for that matter. It's dangerous to stay in this realm too long."

 

"I know, but what else could I have done? He won't stay put and was determined to leave my cabin. You know I couldn't allow that." She paused and gave the Dream-Hunter a pleading look. "I need guidance, M'Adoc. I wish I could talk to Acheron. He's the only one I know who could tell me about Zarek."

 

"No. Zarek could tell you."

 

"But he won't."

 

He met her gaze. "So you're giving up, then?"

 

"Never."

 

He gave her a rare smile that let her know he was siphoning off her emotions. "I figured as much. Glad to know you're no longer daunted."

 

"But how do I reach him? I'm open to any and all ideas and suggestions at this point."

 

M'Adoc held his hand out and a small, dark blue book appeared in his palm. He gave it to her. Astrid looked at the copy of The Little Prince in her hands. "It's Zarek's favorite book, too," M'Adoc said. No wonder Zarek had been able to quote it to her. M'Adoc stepped back. "It's a book of heartbreak and survival. A book of magic, hope, and promise. Strange that it would speak to him, isn't it?" M'Adoc flashed out of the dream then and left her flipping through the book. She saw that M'Adoc had marked certain passages and paragraphs.

 

Astrid closed the door and took it to the comfortable recliner that had suddenly appeared in the cabin. She smiled. All the gods of sleep liked to speak in riddles and metaphors. They seldom said anything outright, but made people work for their answers. M'Adoc, the head of the Oneroi, had left her clues in this book. If this could give her any insight into Zarek at all, she would read what he had marked. Maybe then she might have a hope of saving Zarek.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jess ducked into the small convenience store and shook himself like a wet dog coming in from the rain. It was so damn cold up here that he couldn't stand it. How had Zarek survived in Alaska before central heating? He had to give his friend credit. A man had to be hard and dangerous to make his home here without any help from friends or Squires. Personally, he'd rather be pistol whipped and thrown naked into a nest of rattlers.

 

There was an elderly gentleman behind the counter who gave him a knowing smile as if he understood why Jess had cursed as soon as he entered. The man had a thick head of grey hair and a salt-and-pepper-coloured beard. His old green sweater had snags, but it looked good and warm. "Can I help you?"

 

Jess lowered the muffler from his face and gave a curt, friendly nod to the man. Manners dictated he remove his black Stetson while indoors, but damned if he'd do that and let even an ounce of his body heat escape. He needed every bit of it. "Howdy, sir," he drawled all polite like. "I'm searching for some black coffee or anything else you've got that's hot. Real hot."

 

The man laughed and pointed to a coffeepot in the back. "You must not be from around here."

 

Jess headed for the coffee. "No, sir, and thank God for that."

 

The old man laughed again. "Ahh, stay up here for a little while and your blood will thicken up enough to where you don't even notice it."

 

He doubted that. His blood would have to be petrified not to feel this cold. He wanted to get his butt back to Reno before he became the first Dark-Hunter in history to freeze to death. Jess poured an extra-large Styrofoam cup full and headed for the counter. He set it down and dug through the five million layers of coat, flannel shirt, sweater, and long johns to pull his wallet out of his back pocket to pay. His gaze fell to a small glass case where someone had placed a hand-carved statue of a cowboy on a bucking bronco. Jess frowned as he recognized the horse, then the man. It was him. He'd e-mailed a picture to Zarek last summer of him saddle-breaking his latest stallion. Damned if that wasn't an exact copy of the photo.

 

"Hey," the old gentleman said as he noticed it, too. "You look just like my statue."

 

"Yes, sir, I noticed that. Where did you get it?"

 

The man looked back and forth from him to the statue as he compared their likenesses. "The annual Christmas auction we had last November."

 

Jess scowled at that. "Christmas auction?"

 

"Every year the Polar Bear Club gets together to raise money for the poor and sick. We have an annual auction, and for the last, oh I don't know, twenty years or so, Santa has been leaving a couple of huge bags of these one-of-a-kind hand-carved statues and figurines that we sell. We figure he must be a local artist or something who doesn't want to let anyone know where he lives. Every month a big money order comes anonymously to our post office box, too. Most of us figure it's the same guy doing it all."

 

"Santa, as in Claus?"

 

The man nodded. "I know it's a stupid name, but we don't know what else to call him. It's just some guy who comes around in winter and does good deeds. The police have seen him a time or two carrying the bags up to our centre, but they leave him alone. He shovels driveways for the elderly and carves a lot of those elaborate ice sculptures you've probably seen around town."

 

Jess felt his jaw go slack, then he quickly snapped it shut before he exposed his fangs to the gentleman. Yeah. He had seen those sculptures. But Zarek? It hardly seemed like something the ex-slave would do. His friend was crusty at best and downright ornery at worst. But then, Zarek had never told him what he did up here to pass the time. Never said much of nothing to Jess really. Jess paid for the coffee, then headed back out to the street.

 

He walked to the end of it, where one of the ice sculptures rested at an intersection. A rendition of a moose, it stood almost eight feet tall. The moonlight glistened off the surface that was so intricately carved that it looked like the moose was ready to break loose and run for home. Zarek's work? It just didn't seem right. Jess went to take another drink of his coffee only to realize it had already chilled. "I hate Alaska," he mumbled, tossing the coffee to the ground and then wadding up the cup. Before he could find a trash can, his cell phone rang.

 

He checked the caller ID to see that it was Justin Carmichael, one of the Blood Rites Squires who was up here hunting for Zarek. It seemed once the Oracles got wind that Artemis and Dionysus wanted Zarek dead, they had immediately notified the Council, who in turn had sent out the orneriest bunch of Blood Rite Squires to hunt and kill the rogue Dark-Hunter.

 

Jess was all that stood between them and Zarek.

 

Born and raised in New York City, Justin was a younger man, about twenty-four, with a nasty attitude Jess didn't care for much.

 

He answered the call. "Yeah, Carmichael, whatcha need?"

 

"We have a problem."

 

"And that would be?"

 

"You know the woman who was helping Zarek? Sharon?"

 

"What about her?"

 

"We just found her. She was beaten up pretty bad and her house has been burned to the ground. My money says it's Zarek bent on revenge."

 

Jess's blood went cold. "Bullshit. Did you talk to her?"

 

"Trust me, she wasn't in any condition to talk when we found her. She's with the doctors right now and we're headed back to Zarek's cabin to see if we can find that bastard and make him pay for this before he hurts anyone else."

 

"What about Sharon's daughter?"

 

"She was staying at a neighbour’s house when it happened. Thank God. I've got Mike watching over her in case Zarek comes calling again."

 

Jess couldn't breathe and it wasn't from the frozen bite in the air. How could this have happened? Unlike the Squires, he knew Zarek didn't have any part in this. He alone knew where Zarek really was. Ash had trusted him with the truth of what was going on and had charged him with making sure no one fubarred it until Zarek's test was over. Well, things just went further south than a herd of geese in the fall. "Don't move until I get there," he told the Squire. "I want to go to his cabin with you."

 

"Why? You planning on getting in our way again when we take him down?"

 

Those words rubbed him like a herd of porcupines. "Boy, you better take that tone and flush it. I'm not a Squire you're talking to; I happen to be one of the guys you answer to. It ain't none of your damned business why I'm going. You just don't move until I tell you to or I'm going to show you how I once made Wyatt Earp piss his drawers."

 

Carmichael hesitated before he spoke again. When he did, his voice was nice and cool. "Yes, sir. We're at the hotel and are waiting for you."

 

Jess hung up the phone and returned it to his pocket. He felt awful about Sharon. She shouldn't have been in any danger at all. None of the Squires would have dared hurt her. And in spite of what the others thought, he knew Zarek wouldn't have done it even if he'd been able to. Zarek just didn't strike him as the type to go after those weaker than him. But then, who else would have dared?

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ash sat alone in Artemis's temple, just outside her throne room on the terrace where he could look out onto the beautiful, multi-coloured waterfall. His golden-blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, he sat on top of a marble banister with his bare back against a ridged column. Wildlife, safe from hunters and all other danger because of Artemis's protection, grazed in a yard where the ground was made of clouds. The only sound came from the rushing water and the occasional cry of a wild bird. It should be peaceful here and yet for all his serene composure Ash was agitated.

 

Artemis and her attendants had left him to go to the Theocropolis where Zeus held court over all the Olympian gods. She would be gone for hours. Not even that could please him. He wanted to know what was happening with Zarek's test. Something was going wrong, he knew it. He could feel it, but he dared not use his powers to investigate. He could take Artemis's wrath, but he would never unleash that onto Astrid or Zarek. So here he sat, his powers restricted, his anger and frustration leashed.

 

"Akri, can I come off your arm for a little while?"

 

Simi's voice took some of the edge off his raw emotions. Whenever she was part of him, she couldn't see or hear anything unless he spoke her name and gave her an order. She was even immune to his thoughts. She could only feel his emotions. Something that allowed her to know whenever he was in danger, the only time she was allowed to leave him without his permission. "Yes, Simi. You may take human form."

 

She pulled herself off and manifested beside him. Her long blond hair was braided. Her eyes were a stormy grey and her wings pale blue. "Why are you so sad, Akri?"

 

"I'm not sad, Simi."

 

"Yes you are. I know you, Akri, you gots that pain in your heart like the Simi gets whenever she cries."

 

"I never cry, Sim."

 

"I know." She moved closer to him so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. One of her black horns scraped against his cheek, but Ash didn't mind. She draped her arms around him and held him close.

 

Closing his eyes, he embraced her tightly, cupping her small head in one of his hands. Her hug went a long way toward easing his troubled spirit. Only Simi could do that. She alone touched him without making physical demands on him. She never wanted anything but to be his "baby." Childlike and innocent, she was the balm he needed. And yet…he thought back to the hours he’d spent in Harry’s bed only a few days ago. He remembered how safe he’d felt as Harry held him, like he had so long ago. Harry had never made demands on him either, he was always giving, teaching him. even now when he was so different to the child Harry had known the wizard was always there, willing to listen and help. But being near him was dangerous, Artemis was lethally jealous of anyone he cared about and if she learnt about their time together on Atlantis…she’d kill Harry.

 

"So, can I eat the redheaded goddess now?"

 

Simi’s question brought him back to the present. He smiled at her most-often-asked question. "No, Simi."

 

She lifted her head and stuck her tongue out at him, then flounced over to sit on the railing by his bare feet. "I want to eat her, Akri. She a mean person."

 

"Most gods are."

 

"No they're not. Some, true, but I rather like the Atlanteans. They were very nice. Most of them. You never met Archon, did you?"

 

"No."

 

"Now, he could be mean. He was blond, like you, tall like you, well, taller than you, and good-looking like you, but not quite as good-looking as you. I don't think anyone is as good-looking as you are. Not even them gods. You are definitely one of a kind when it comes to looks... Oh-" She started as she remembered his twin. "Well... you're not really one of a kind, are you? But you cuter than that other one. He a bad copy of you. He only wishes he was as cute as you are." His smile widened. She placed her finger against her chin and stopped for a minute as if trying to gather her thoughts. "Now where was I going with that? Oh, I remember now. Archon didn't like a lot of people, unlike you. You know that thing you do whenever you get really, really mad? The one where you can blow stuff up and make it all fiery and chunky and messy and all? He could do that too only not with as much finesse as you. You got a lot of finesse, Akri. More than most. But I digress. Archon liked me. He said, 'Simi, you a quality demon.' Have you ever seen a non-quality demon, though? That's what I wanna know."

 

Amused, Ash listened as she rambled on about gods and goddesses worshiped in his mortal lifetime. Gods and goddesses long dead now. He loved to listen to her nonlinear tales and logic. It was like watching a small child as it tried to sort out the world and remember something. There was no telling from one minute to the next what would come out of her mouth. She saw things clearly, like a child. If you had a problem, you killed it. End of problem. Subtleties and politics were beyond her. Simi just was. She wasn't amoral or vicious, she was just an extremely young demon with godlike powers who had no comprehension of deceit or treachery.

 

How he envied her that. It was why he shielded her so carefully. He didn't want her to learn the hard lessons that had been dealt to him. She deserved to have the childhood he had never known. One that was sheltered and protected. One in which no one was allowed to hurt her. He didn't know what he would do without her.

 

She'd been nothing more than an infant when she'd been given to him. Barely twenty-one himself, the two of them had pretty much raised each other. They were both the last of their kind on this earth. For more than eleven thousand years it had been just the two of them. She was as much a part of him as any vital organ. Without her, he would die.

 

The door of the temple opened. Simi hissed, baring her fangs, letting him know Artemis had returned early. Ash turned his head for confirmation. Sure enough, the goddess was striding toward him. He let out a tired breath.

 

Artemis pulled up short as she saw Simi sitting at his feet "What is it doing off your arm?"

 

"Talking to me, Artie."

 

"Make it go away."

 

Simi huffed. "I don't have to do nothing you say, you old heifer cow. And you are old. Really, really old. And a cow, too."

 

"Simi," Ash said, stressing her name. "Please return to me." Simi cast an evil glare at Artemis, then became a dark, amorphous shadow. She moved over to him and laid herself over his chest to become a huge dragon on his torso with fiery spirals that wrapped around and down both of his arms. Ash laughed darkly at the sight. It was Simi's way of hugging him and tweaking Artemis at the same time. Artemis thoroughly hated it whenever Simi covered so much of his body.

 

Artemis let out a disgusted sound. "Make it move."

 

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you back so early?" She instantly became nervous. His bad feeling tripled. "What happened?" Artemis walked to the column at his feet, wrapped her arm around it and leaned against the marble. She played with the gilded edge of her peplos as she worried her lip. Ash sat up straight, his stomach knotted. If she was this evasive something had gone mind-blowingly wrong. "Tell me, Artemis."

 

She looked exasperated and angry. "Why should I tell you? You'll just get angry at me and you practically stay that way anyway. I tell you, then you'll want to leave and you can't leave and then you'll yell at me."

 

The knot in his gut tightened. "You have three seconds to talk or I'm forgetting about your fear that one of your family members will discover I'm living in your temple. I will use my powers and I will find out what has happened on my own."

 

"No!" she snapped, turning to look at him. "You can't do that." A tic started in his jaw. She moved back, putting the column between them. She took a deep breath as if for strength, then spoke in the voice of a small, frightened child. "Thanatos is loose."

 

"What!" he roared, lowering his legs to the floor and coming to his feet.

 

"See! You're yelling."

 

"Oh, trust me," he said between clenched teeth, "this isn't yelling. I haven't even come close to it yet." Ash pushed himself away from the banister and paced angrily around the long balcony. It took all his strength not to lash out at her. "You promised me you would recall him."

 

"I tried, but he got away."

 

"How?"

 

"I don't know. I wasn't there and now he refuses to heel."

 

Ash glared at her. Thanatos was on the loose and the only one who could stop him was under house arrest in Artemis's temple. Damn her for her tricks and promises. There was no way he could leave here. Unlike the Olympians, once he gave his word, he was bound by it.

 

It would kill him to break his oath. Literally.

 

Anger roiled through him. Had she listened to him the first time, they wouldn't be reliving this nightmare. "You swore to me nine hundred years ago when I killed the last one that you wouldn't re-create Thanatos. How many people did that one kill? How many Dark-Hunters? Do you even remember?"

 

She stiffened and returned his glare. "I told you, we needed someone to corral your people. You won't do it. You won't even control your demon. It was the only reason I made another one. I need someone who can execute them when they misbehave. You, you just make excuses for them. 'You don't understand, Artemis. Waa, waa, waa.' I understand, all right. You prefer to tend to anyone but me so I created someone who listens when I speak." She glared meaningfully at him. "Someone who actually obeys me."

 

Ash counted to ten three times while he clenched and unclenched his fists. She had a way of making him want to lash out and hurt her that came dangerously close to breaching all of his control.

 

"Don't get me started on that one, Artie. It seems to me 'obey' isn't a word that belongs in the same sentence as your executioner."

 

Driven mad by his confinement and thirst for vengeance, the last Thanatos had ripped through England with such force that Ash had had to fabricate stories of a "plague" to keep the humans and Dark-Hunters from learning the truth of what had actually destroyed forty percent of the country's population.

 

Ash raked his hands over his face at the thought of what Artemis had unleashed onto the world again. He should have known when he asked her to recall it that it was too late for her to do so. But like a fool, he had counted on her to do as she promised. He should have known better. "Damn you, Artemis. Thanatos has the powers to gather Daimons and make them do his bidding. He can call them from hundreds of miles away. Unlike my Hunters, he walks in the daylight and is impossible to kill. The only vulnerability he has is unknown to them."

 

She scoffed at him. "Well, that's your own fault. You should have told them about him."

 

"Told them what, Artemis? Behave or the bitch-goddess will unleash her insane killer on you?"

 

"I am not a bitch!"

 

He moved to stand before her, pressing her back against the column. "You have no idea what you have created, do you?"

 

"He's nothing more than a servant. I can recall him."

 

He looked at her trembling hands and the beads of perspiration on her forehead. "Then why are you shaking?" he asked. "Tell me how he got loose."

 

She swallowed. But wisely gave him the information he sought. "Dion did it. He was bragging in the hall about it right before I came to tell you."

 

"Dionysus?" She nodded. Ash cursed himself this time. He shouldn't have removed the god's memory of their fight in New Orleans. He should have let the idiot know exactly what he was dealing with. Left Dionysus so scared of him that the Olympian god would never again dare to confront him or any of his men. But no, he'd sought to protect Artemis. She didn't want her family to know who and what he was. To them he was only her pet. A human curiosity, easily discarded and dismissed. If they only knew... He'd removed enough of everyone's memory of that night so they would only recall that a fight had happened and who the winners were. Not even Artemis remembered everything. No…not everyone, Harry remembered, he hadn’t even thought to alter his memories when he’d gone to him, too relieved the younger man had somehow survived the knife to his heart. Artemis had promised him Dionysus wouldn't go after Zarek for retribution. But then Artemis had thought to kill Zarek herself. When would he learn? She could never be trusted. Ash moved away from her. "You have no idea what it does to someone to lock them away. To place them in a hole where they're forgotten."

 

"And you do?"

 

Ash fell silent as suppressed memories flooded him. Painful, bitter memories that haunted him whenever he dared to think of the past. "You'd best pray that you never learn what it feels like. The madness, the thirst. The anger. You've created a monster, Artemis, and I'm the only one who can kill it."

 

"Then we're in for a bit of a problem, aren't we? You can't leave." He narrowed his eyes. She stepped back again. "I told you, I will contact the Oracles and have them bring him home again."

 

"You better, Artemis. Because if you don't get him under control, the world is going to become the very thing that makes you wake up screaming at night."

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry felt a shiver of dread run down his spine as they approached Zarek’s home, something was out there, something deadly and it was hunting them. It wasn’t Zarek, Harry knew the Dark Hunter hadn’t attacked the woman, he was still somewhere else. Was this what had attacked her?

 

Jess left the black Ford Bronco and slid his sawed-off shotgun out from under the seat. Just in case. The night winds were frigid, the moonlight bright and eerie as it reflected off the snow. He adjusted his sunglasses, not that they made much difference. The Alaskan climate was hard on a Dark-Hunter's sensitive eyes.

 

Zarek's house was dark and empty, but a bright red snow-machine was parked in front of it Jess's Squire, Andy Simms, who had come up here with him from Reno, ambled out of the Bronco and eyed the snow machine suspiciously.

 

Barely six feet in height with black hair and brown eyes, Andy had just turned twenty-one. He'd only worked for Jess a few months and had come in after Andy's father retired last spring. Jess had known the pup since the day he was born, and tended to look on him like a little brother. Pesky and all. "Is that another Squire?" Andy asked, indicating the snow-machine with a nod.

 

Jess shook his head. The Squires were in the two SUVs pulling up behind them. They made more noise than a herd of nervous cattle as they left their four-wheel-drives and gathered around him. There were twelve of the Squires altogether, but Jess only knew a couple of them. Otto Carvalletti was the tallest of the group. Standing a cool six feet five inches, he had jet-black hair that was a bit long, but well styled, as if the man spent a lot of time on it. He glared penetratingly at all times, and Jess figured if the man ever did manage to smile, it would crack his face. One half of Otto's family was Italian Mafia while the other half was one of the oldest Squire families known. A real blue blood, Otto's grandfather had once headed up the Squires' Council.

 

Tyler Winstead came to them from Milwaukee. Barely five feet seven, the blond man was wholesome looking until you caught sight of his eyes. There was nothing wholesome in his gaze. Only intensity.

 

That left Allen Kirby. Another multi-generational Squire, Allen had been called out from Toronto for this hunt. Since Otto never spoke two words, Allen was the smart-ass of the herd. But, something told Jess, Otto could easily outdo Allen's biting comments if he chose to do so.

 

"I knew he'd be here," Allen said as he eyed the snow-machine with pert malice.

 

Jess passed a bored stare at him. "It's not Zarek. Believe me, red isn't his colour." But he suspected the snow machine did belong to a Dark-Hunter. He could feel the drain on his powers already.

 

"How do you know it's not him?" Tyler asked.

 

Jess rested the shotgun on his shoulder. "I just do."

 

He ordered the Squires to stay put and ambled up the driveway toward the snow machine. Using his teeth, he pulled the glove off his left hand and placed it on the engine. It was cold but that meant nothing in this subzero temp, he realized all of a sudden, and he felt like a jackass for even bothering. The snow machine could have been here five minutes or five hours. In this kind of cold, even a raging fire would be chilled within minutes of going out. So who did it belong to? He looked left and right and saw no sign of anyone. Until he heard a soft thud to his left. He barely had time to pull his gun off his shoulder before four Daimons broke through the foliage.

 

They paused at the sight of him, then put their heads down and ran headlong toward him. Jess caught one with a shotgun blast to the chest, then flipped a second one up and over using the stock of his gun.

 

A crossbow bolt shot past his face, narrowly missing him and striking one Daimon as Jess killed the one at his feet. The last one attacked, but didn't get more than a step before another bolt landed square in his chest and he burst into powdered dust.

 

"Nasty bloodsucking rats."

 

He arched a brow at the soft, feminine voice that preceded the appearance of a tall, well-built woman. Her long, black hair was braided down her back and she wore a tight black leather pantsuit that reminded him a bit of Emma Peel from The Avengers. Only it was much more devastating on the woman approaching him.

 

A second Dark-Hunter came out of the woods behind her. He was a good four inches taller than Jess with white-blond hair and a predator's lope that said "mess with me and get hurt." He was dressed in a long fur coat and he seemed extremely comfortable in the arctic chill.

 

The woman paused by Jess's side and offered him her hand. "Syra of Antikabe."

 

Jess inclined his head and took her hand. "Jess Brady, ma'am, pleased to meet you."

 

"Sundown," the other Dark-Hunter said as he joined them. He kept his hands in his pockets. "I've heard a lot about you. You're a long way from home."

 

Jess eyed him suspiciously. "And you are?"

 

"Bjorn Thorssen."

 

He inclined his head in turn to the Viking warrior. Rumour had it Bjorn had been one of the original Norsemen who had invaded Dark Age Normandy. "I've heard of you," he said to Bjorn, then he turned to look at Syra. "But no offense, ma'am, you I don't know."

 

"Sure you do. The asses on the loop call me Yukon Jane."

 

He smiled at that. Yukon Jane was an Amazon warrior from the third or fourth century B.C. She was rumoured to be almost as ill-tempered as Zarek. She loved to hunt and kill, and was stationed in the Yukon because she'd once maimed a king who annoyed her. "Well, now," Jess drawled with a wicked grin as he gave her elegant pose an appreciative once over, "all I can say is none of them that insult you have ever had the pleasure of your company, Miss Syra. Otherwise, they'd be calling you Queen Jane."

 

She smiled warmly at that. "You are a charmer and polite, too. Zoe was right." Jess's grin widened.

 

Allen cleared his throat. "Well, Lord Debonair and Lady Lethal, if we can have a minute of your time, we do have a psycho to hunt."

 

Jess glared over his shoulder at Allen, but before he could comment, Syra shot another bolt from her crossbow. Allen went flying and landed flat on his back in the snow. Syra walked over to him and stared down. "I don't particularly like Squires and I really hate the Blood Rites. So save yourself some pain and don't speak to me again. Or next time I'll use a Daimon bolt on you." She reached down and picked up the flathead bolt she'd used.

 

Jess laughed. He liked a woman with gumption. And a deadly aim.

 

"So," she said, turning around and eyeballing the lot of them. "I've been chasing a group of Daimons for the last four days as they headed toward Fairbanks. Bjorn followed a tribe of them up from Anchorage. That explains why we're here. What about the rest of you? Jess, did you trail Daimons from Reno to Alaska?"

 

Otto moved out of the group of Squires and paused in front of Syra. "We've come to kill Zarek of Moesia, and if you get in our way, little girl, we're going to kill you!"

 

"I'll be damned," Jess said, pulling his sunglasses down low on the bridge of his nose to stare at Otto. "He speaks. Or rather growls."

 

"But not for long if he doesn't watch his mouth." Syra gave Otto a mean and lethal glare. "For the record, Squire, it would take more man than you to even scratch me."

 

Otto returned her glare with a flirtatious smile. "I live for a woman who scratches. Just make sure you keep it on the back, baby. I don't like scars." Otto brushed past her.

 

"I really hate Squires," Syra snarled. She pulled another flat bolt out and loaded it, then shot it at Otto.

 

Moving so fast he could hardly be seen, the Squire turned around and caught it without flinching. He held the bolt up to his nose and inhaled it lovingly. "Mmm," he said. "Rose. My favourite."

 

Jess exchanged a knowing look with Andy. "Perhaps we should leave you two alone."

 

"Yeah," Allen said with a short laugh, "this does remind me a bit of the mating rites of the mean and the surly. All we need now is Nick Gautier." Otto slung the bolt at Allen who grunted as it made contact with his stomach. Syra's face was beet red as she glared at Otto, who ignored her and sauntered toward the cabin.

 

"Do you have a Squire, Jess?" she asked as she and Bjorn walked beside him.

 

He nodded toward Andy. "Raised that one from a whelp."

 

"Does he listen?"

 

"Most days."

 

"You're lucky. I shot my last three." As she headed toward the cabin, Syra added, "And it wasn't with the flat bolt."

 

Well, at least things were a mite more amusing with the two new additions to their crew. But as Jess entered Zarek's cabin behind Bjorn, Syra, and three of the Squires, his humor died. The rest of the group had to wait outside since no one else would fit in the small square space. This wasn't a case of the cabin being bigger inside than it looked outside. It was just the reverse. Inside, the place was well kept, but cramped and dismal.

 

The Squires held halogen lanterns up, illuminating the stark interior. There was a pallet on the floor with an old, worn-out pillow and a few threadbare blankets and furs. The television was set on the floor and the walls were lined with bookshelves. The only pieces of furniture in the house were two cupboards. "Good Lord," Allen said. "He lives like an animal."

 

"No," Syra said as she walked over to the bookshelves to skim the titles. "He lives like a slave. For him, this would be a step up from what he was used to."

 

She met Jess's gaze. "You know the man?"

 

"Yeah and you're right." Jess had to duck out of the ceiling fan's way as he moved around the room. He remembered that Zarek was a full two inches taller than him. "Damn," he said as he turned the fan blade with his finger and remembered another thing Zarek had once told him.

 

"What?" Bjorn asked.

 

Jess looked back at the Alaskan Hunter who was inspecting Zarek's pantry, which contained only a few cans of food and a ton of unopened vodka bottles. "How hot does it get up here in the summertime?"

 

Bjorn shrugged. "In the heart of the summer it can get in the high eighties and nineties. Why?"

 

Jess cursed again. "I remember talking to Zarek once. I asked him how he was doing. He said, 'Baking.' " Jess nodded at the small ceiling fan. "I just now realized what he meant. Can you imagine being trapped in this place in the dead of summer with no windows and no air-conditioning?"

 

Syra let out a low whistle. "We have round-the-clock sunshine. You're lucky if you can leave for more than ten minutes a day."

 

"What does he do for a bathroom?" Allen asked.

 

Syra indicated a small chamber pot in the left corner.

 

"How long has he been here?" she asked Jess. "Eight, nine hundred years?" Jess nodded. She let out a low whistle. "No wonder he's insane."

 

Allen scoffed. "With the money he gets paid, the idiot could have built himself a mansion."

 

"No," Jess said. "It's not his way. Trust me, when you're used to nothing, you expect nothing."

 

Syra walked over to the corner where a mountain of carved figurines were piled. "What are these?"

 

Jess frowned as he noticed the walls of the cabin and realized every single inch of them was covered with intricate carvings that matched the figurines. Suddenly he recalled the wood sculptures he'd seen in the convenience store. The ice sculptures he'd seen in town. Poor Zarek must have gone loco time and again from boredom during the months he was confined to this tiny shed. Hell, Jess had a bigger garage at home. "I would say it's Zarek's attempt to maintain a shred of sanity while he's locked away up here."

 

Bjorn picked up a painted figurine that looked like a polar bear with its cubs. "These are incredible."

 

Syra nodded. "I've never seen anything like them. It hardly seems right that we kill someone who's had to live like this all these centuries."

 

Allen snorted. "It hardly seems right that he was allowed to live after he murdered everyone in the village he was charged with watching."

 

Otto passed an interesting look to the Squire. If Jess didn't know better, he'd suspect the man had second thoughts about killing Zarek. Their gazes locked. Nope, no doubt. In fact, he suspected Otto might have been sent along for other reasons... as he had been.

 

"Well, guys, it's been fun," Bjorn said. "But my powers are waning from Jess and Syra and we still have a small matter of the Daimon migration to sort out. Anyone have any ideas why they would do this?"

 

They all looked to Syra who was the oldest. "What?" she asked.

 

"Have you ever seen or heard of anything like this?"

 

She shook her head. "I've heard of Daimons teaming up. Back in the centuries before you guys were born, they used to have warrior Daimons. But no one has seen a Spathi in at least a millennium. All this beats me. It's a pity we can't reach Acheron. He might have more information."

 

Bjorn headed out of the cabin. Jess pulled up the rear and looked back inside the shack one more time. Damn. He felt real sorry for his friend and the life Zarek had been given. He couldn't imagine being stuck out in the woods all alone in temperatures that ranged from forty below to ninety. No wonder Ash took such pity on Zarek. Six of the squires went to the SUVs and unloaded gasoline containers. "What are you doing?" Jess asked suspiciously.

 

"Burning him out," a redheaded Squire said. "You want to hunt, you-"

 

"Like hell!" Jess grabbed the container from the man's hand and slung it toward the woods. "This is all he has in the world. No way I'm going to let you take it from him."

 

Allen sneered at him. "He beat up that woman."

 

Jess narrowed his gaze. "You have yet to prove it to me."

 

Allen rolled his eyes, as if unable to understand how he could defend his friend. "If Zarek didn't do it? Who did?"

 

"I did."

 

Harry had let the group argue as they liked while he looked around. The hut may be bigger than his cupboard had been but at least he hadn’t been totally trapped in it for months at a time like Zarek was. But the new voice got his attention and he turned with them to look at the newcomers, yeah, this was going to end well.

 

Jess looked up to see the biggest herd of Daimons he'd ever beheld in his life. There had to be at least forty head of them, but it was hard to count-especially since he didn't think they were all visible. His Dark-Hunter sense told him more were still in the woods, acting as standbys. Some wore leather, some fur coats. Some were male and others female. But they had a few things in common. Blond hair, fangs, and that unnatural attractiveness that was ingrained in their species. Even so, one glance was enough to identify their leader. It was a Daimon he'd met already while he'd been after Zarek. But instead of fleeing from him like most Daimons did, this one had run after Zarek. Pursuing Zarek even while they did.

 

The leader stood a head taller than the others and slightly ahead of them. Unlike the ones behind him, there was no fear in his gaze. Only a raw, tangible determination. And a meanness that ran soul deep.

 

Syra let out a sound that was a cross between disbelief and humour. "What the hell is that?"

 

The Daimon leader smiled. "I would say 'Your worst nightmare,' but I hate clichés."

 

"Marone, you're real."

 

Everyone on the "good" side turned to look at Otto, who stared at the leader as if he were looking at a visitation from the Devil himself.

 

"You know this guy, Carvalleti?" Jess asked.

 

"I know of him, anyway," he said, his tone deep and heavy. "My father used to tell me about the Daimon called Thanatos when I was a kid. We always thought he was making it up."

 

"Making up what?" Bjorn asked as he looked back in Thanatos's direction.

 

"Tales of a Dark-Hunter executioner called the Dayslayer. It's a story that's been handed down through my family for generations. Squire to Squire."

 

"And you're telling me this ass is him?" Bjorn asked at the same time Syra said, "Dark-Hunter executioner?"

 

Otto nodded. "Supposedly Artemis once set up a slayer for you guys in the event you turned rogue. He can walk in daylight and doesn't need blood to live. Legend has it that he's invincible."

 

Thanatos applauded sarcastically. "Very good, little Squire. I'm impressed."

 

Otto's eyes turned glacial. "My father said Acheron killed Thanatos about a thousand years ago."

 

"Not to be a smart-ass," Bjorn said, "but he doesn't look dead to me."

 

Thanatos laughed. "I'm not. At least no more so than you are." Thanatos approached them slowly, methodically.

 

Jess tensed, ready for battle.

 

Thanatos folded his hands behind his back and offered Otto a wry smile. "Question, human, did your father ever tell you of the Spathi Daimons?" Thanatos looked at the Dark-Hunters. "Surely you older Hunters remember them?" He sighed nostalgically. "Ah, those were the days... The Dark-Hunters hunted us, we slaughtered them. We made our homes in underground catacombs and crypts where the Hunters couldn't go without getting possessed. It was an interesting time to be Apollite or Daimon."

 

He looked over his shoulder at the herd of Daimons who eyed them nervously for the most part. There were one or two who had no fear and those were the ones Jess paid closest attention to. He didn't know anything about warrior Daimons, but he did know how to execute any and all who wanted a taste of a human soul.

 

When Thanatos spoke again, his voice was dark, sinister. "But that was before we discovered civilization and modern conveniences. Before the human world developed enough to where we could exist at night under the pretense of being one of them. Apollites owning businesses and houses. Daimons playing Nintendo. What is this world coming to?"

 

Thanatos moved so fast that no one had time to blink. He shot a blast from his hands, knocking all the Squires off their feet. He surveyed his chaos with a pleased look on his face. "Now before I allow my people to feed on all of you and I kill the Dark-Hunters, perhaps we should talk a bit, hmm... ? Or do you Hunters really want to battle me while you weaken each other?"

 

"Talk about what?" Jess asked, moving closer to Syra. Even though he knew she could take care of herself, it was just ingrained habit for him to protect a woman.

 

"Where Zarek is," Thanatos said between clenched teeth.

 

"We don't know," Syra said.

 

"Wrong answer."

 

One of the unknown Squires let out a howl. Jess watched in horror as the man's arm was snapped in half by nothing at all. Holy Madre de Dios, he'd never seen anything like that.

 

Bjorn attacked. Thanatos caught him, and flipped him to the ground. He ripped open Bjorn's shirt to expose the bow-and-arrow mark of Artemis on Bjorn's shoulder. Thanatos went to stab the mark only to go flying back as a new figure materialised among them, a figure Sundown recognised from an alley months ago. Bjorn quickly got to his feet and re-joined them while none of them moved.

 

Jess could barely breathe as rage suffused him. That had been way too easy for the Daimon. Up until now, the Dark-Hunters had been told that they could only die three ways. Total dismemberment, sunlight, or beheading. Apparently, Acheron had left out one crucial, and extremely quick, way to die. This wasn't good, and right now he was pissed that no one had warned them. It was obvious this Thanatos knew of a fourth way and it was only the intervention of…Harry, that had stopped him. “Harry.”

 

“Hey, you know I never got your name.”

 

“Sundown. What are you doing here? How?”

 

Harry shrugged. “All I got was a note form Ash saying Zarek, Alaska and trouble so here I am. Couldn’t find Zarek so I’ve been tailing you lot.”

 

His answer left a lot of questions to be answered but that would have to wait. There were innocent people here and if he fought Thanatos in the presence of Syra, they would both be fighting with their hands tied behind their backs, while Thanatos would be fighting full strength.

 

"You want Zarek?" Jess asked.

 

Thanatos rose slowly to his feet. "That's why I'm here." He glared at the dark haired man that had stopped him destroying the Dark Hunter, he didn’t know what he was.

 

Jess was shaken by what he'd seen and he would think on it later; right now he wanted to make sure the Squires survived. Jess slid his gaze to Syra and sent a mental projection to her. "Save the Squires. I'm taking Asshole for a run." Aloud, he said, "Then follow me and bring all you've got. Zarek's going to enjoy slaying you." Jess ran for his Bronco.

 

Harry shook his head but went with him, jumping in the passenger seat. “Ash would be annoyed if I let you go and get yourself killed.” He muttered as they took off.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

She took him inside the arcade so that she could teach him to play Skee-Ball, one of her favourites. He was amazingly good at it. "Where did you learn to throw like that?"

 

"I live in Alaska, princess, land of ice and snow. There's not much difference between this and tossing a snowball."

 

She was surprised at that. She had a funny image in her mind of him playing in the snow, which would be completely out of character. "Who do you throw snowballs with?"

 

He rolled another ball up the ramp and into the centre circle. "No one. I used to toss them at the bears so that they would get mad and come close enough for me to kill them."

 

"You killed little bears?"

 

He gave her a droll look. "They weren't little, princess, I promise you. And unlike rabbits, you can make more than one meal off them and it doesn't take as many hides to make a coat or blanket. In the dead of winter, there's not a lot to eat. Most times before there were grocery stores it was either bear meat or starve."

 

Astrid's chest tightened at his words. She'd known it wouldn't be easy for him to survive, but what he described made her want to reach out and hold him close. "How did you kill them?"

 

"With my silver claws."

 

She was aghast. "You killed bears with a claw? Please tell me there are easier ways to do that. Spear, bow and arrow, gun?"

 

"It was long before guns, and besides, it wouldn't have been fair to the bear. He couldn't attack me from a distance. I figured he had claws and I had claws. Winner take all."

 

She shook her head in disbelief. She had to give him credit, at least Zarek was sporting about it. "Didn't you get hurt?"

 

He shrugged nonchalantly, then tossed another ball. "Better than starving. Besides, I'm used to being cut up." He gave her a mischievous look. "Want a bearskin rag, princess? I have quite a collection."

 

She didn't find any humour in his question. Her throat tight, Astrid wanted to weep from what he was telling her. Images went through her mind of him all alone, wounded, dragging a bear that outweighed him by at least ten times through the arctic snow just so that he could eat. And getting the bear home was just the beginning of it. He'd have to skin and butcher it before the other animals smelled his kill or their blood. Then cook it. No one to help him and no choice except to do that or starve. She wondered how many days he'd spent with no food at all... "What about food in the summertime when you have twenty-two hours or more of daylight? I mean, you couldn't preserve the meat for long and it wouldn't give you enough time to plant or harvest anything. What did you do then?"

 

"I starved, princess, and prayed for winter."

 

Tears welled in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Zarek."

 

His jaw flexed. He refused to look at her. "Don't be, it's not your fault. Besides, the hunger wasn't as bad as the thirst. Thank the gods for bottled water. Before that there always were a few days when I couldn't make it to the well even though it's just a short walk outside my door."

 

He reached for another ball. Astrid placed her hand on his to stop him. He turned to face her, his lips slightly parted. She pulled him into her arms and kissed him, wanting to give him some comfort, some degree of solace. Zarek crushed her to him. She opened her mouth to taste him fully and to let his strength wash over her. He pulled back with a groan. "Why are you here?"

 

"I'm here for you, Prince Charming."

 

"I don't believe you. Why are you really here? What do you want from me?"

 

She sighed. "You are amazingly suspicious."

 

"No, I'm realistic and dreams like this don't happen to me."

 

She arched a brow at him. "Never?"

 

"Not in the last two thousand years, anyway."

 

She smoothed the line on his brow with her fingertip and smiled up at him. "Well, things they are a-changing."

 

Zarek cocked his head at that, not believing it for a minute. Some things never changed. Never.

 

"Zarek!"

 

He felt an odd tugging at his chest. But it wasn't Astrid doing it.

 

"Is something wrong?" Astrid asked.

 

"Zarek!"

 

It was a man's voice calling to him. One that seemed to come from miles away.

 

"I feel suddenly strange."

 

"Strange how?" she asked.

 

"Zarek!"

 

The clear boardwalk turned dark. His sight began to dim, his head to spin. Zarek felt himself drifting away from Astrid. He fought with all his strength to remain with her. To remain with his dream. He didn't want it to end. Didn't want to wake up in a world where no one wanted him. He had to get back to her. Please, just one more minute...

 

"Zarek! Damn it, boy, don't make me have to slap you. The last thing I need right now is a concussion. Now get up!"

 

Zarek came awake to find Jess leaning over him, shaking him hard. Cursing, he kicked the cowboy back, into the wall. Jess's foul oath matched his own as Jess rebounded off the wood. Zarek's back and arm throbbed in response to Jess's injuries. But he didn't care. He intended to add so many more injuries to the cowboy that neither one of them would be able to walk without limping. He owed the bastard for the shot in his back. And he always paid his debts in full, with interest. Zarek came out of the bed snarling, ready for battle.

 

"Whoa, Z!" Jess said, ducking the punch Zarek swung at him. "Calm down."

 

Zarek stalked him like a lion eyeing an injured gazelle. One that intended to make the gazelle its dinner... "Calm down? You shot me in the back, you son of a bitch."

 

Jess's face turned to stone and he gave him a cold, chilling stare. "Boy, don't you dare insult my mama, and you better stop and think about that one for a minute. I was a paid killer since I was old enough to hold a gun. Had I shot your dumb ass, you wouldn't have a head right now. Having been shot in the back by a friend, I sure wouldn't want to return that favour to anyone. Not even an ornery cuss like you. And why the hell would I hurt myself just to get to you anyway? Lord, boy, use your head."

 

Zarek still wasn't ready to believe him. Though mostly healed, his back was a sore reminder that someone had tried their damnedest to kill him. "Then who shot me?"

 

"One of them idiot Squires. Hell if I know which one. They all kind of look alike when they're not yours."

 

Zarek hesitated as he tried to sort out everything that had happened over the last few days. Everything was a bit fuzzy in his mind. The last thing he really remembered was trying to leave Astrid's cabin... He frowned as he looked around, realizing he was still here. Jess had awakened him while he was lying fully dressed in a bed he didn't remember climbing into. He frowned as he saw Astrid lying in that bed, too. The dreams he'd had... What the hell?

 

Jess reloaded his shotgun. "Look, I don't have time for this. Do you know who Thanatos is?"

 

"Yeah, we met."

 

"Good, 'cause he's already tried to kill one Dark-Hunter tonight and he's right behind me. I need you up and running. Fast."

 

Zarek's stomach went south at his words. "What?"

 

Jess's face was grim and lethal. "He took out a Dark-Hunter without breaking a sweat, if it hadn’t been for Ash’s friend Harry showing up Bjorn would be a Shade. I've never seen anything like it in my life. Now Thanatos is coming for you, Z. It's time to make like a fox and get the hell out of Dallas."

 

What did that mean? If Zarek's head hurt before, it was nothing compared to the ache he felt trying to decipher that last bit of cowboy colloquialism.

 

"Whatever you do," Jess said, his voice deep and thick with warning, "don't let Thanatos near your bow-and-arrow mark. Apparently it works like the Daimons' ink blot in the centre of their chests. One tiny stab and we're dust."

 

Zarek scowled at his words. "What bow-and-arrow mark? I don't have one."

 

Jess scoffed. "Of course you do. We all have one."

 

"No I don't."

 

Jess looked up from his gun, his face completely un-amused. "Maybe it's in a spot you don't look at. Like your butt or something. I know you got one. It's where Artemis touched you when she captured your soul."

 

Zarek shook his head at him. "Artemis never touched me. She couldn't get near me without cringing so she used a stick to make me a Dark-Hunter. I swear to you, there's no mark on me."

 

Jess's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me they stick you out here where there are no Daimons and you don't have a weak spot? What kind of shit is that? I live in Daimon Central with one hell of an Achilles' heel that no one ever bothered to mention, and you live where there's no danger to you and yet you don't have one?" Jess paced the floor. It was a habit Zarek had learned about during one of their late-night phone conversations. Once Jess started on a rant, it was hard to get him off it. "What's not fair with this picture?" Jess railed. "And then Ash asks me to come up here to save your ass and here we are dropping like flies while you're Teflon. No, I have a problem with this. I love you, man, but da-yam. This just ain't right. I'm up here freezing my balls off, and you, you don't need protection. Meanwhile I have a bull's-eye on my arm that says, 'Hey, Daimon on steroids, kill me right here.'"

 

Still Jess rambled. "Do you realize, I put my keys in my mouth to pull out my wallet to pay for gas and they froze there? The last thing I want to do is die up here in this godforsaken place at the hands of some freaked-out something no one has ever heard of before except for Guido the Killer Squire from Jersey? I swear I want someone's ass for this." Jess took a breath but before he could start ranting again, the front door to the cabin burst open.

 

The entire house shook from the force of it. Zarek felt a cold, familiar shiver up his spine. A faint trace of a memory flashed through his mind. It was vague and disconcerting. He'd felt this before... With no time to contemplate, he used his telekinesis to slam and lock the bedroom door. He shoved Jess toward the window. "She has a wolf somewhere in the house. Find him and get him out." Something struck the door forcefully.

 

"Come out, Zarek," Thanatos growled. "I thought you liked to play with Daimons."

 

"Yeah, I'll play with you, you bastard." Zarek blew out the window with his telekinesis and pushed Jess through it while Thanatos continued to assault the door. Crossing the room, Zarek grabbed Astrid, who was still sound asleep on the bed, and handed her out the window to Jess. "Get her out of here." Jess had barely taken Astrid from him before the door blew apart. Zarek turned around slowly. "Didn't your mother ever teach you it's not nice to intrude?"

 

Thanatos narrowed a cold, harsh glare at him. "My mother disintegrated when I was only a year old. She didn't have time to teach me anything. But you, on the other hand, taught me well how to hunt and kill my enemies."

 

Zarek was so shocked by the words that it left him open to the first attack. Thanatos caught him with a blast straight to his chest. Zarek rolled with it, taking strength from the pain. He was good at that.

 

As he braced himself to attack, a gunshot rang out twice. Thanatos staggered forward, then turned around with a snarl. Zarek's eyes widened as he caught sight of two bullet holes in the back of the Daimon's skull. Bullet holes that healed instantly.

 

Jess cursed from the hallway. "What are you?"

 

"Jess," Zarek snapped. "Get out. I can handle this."

 

As Thanatos went for Jess, Zarek ran at his back and knocked him into the doorframe.

 

"Go!" he shouted at Jess. "I can't fight him with you here. I need all my powers." Jess nodded and ran for the front door. Zarek heard him pause long enough to get the wolf out. "Alone at last." He laughed as Thanatos shoved him back against the far wall. "Oh, the pleasure of the pain."

 

Thanatos raked him with a disgusted sneer. "You really do suffer from insanity, don't you?"

 

"Hardly. I have to say I enjoy every minute of it." Zarek let his powers surge through him until his hands burned from the heat of them. He channelled the ions in the air and charged them full, then directed them at Thanatos. The blast knocked him halfway down the hall. Gathering more power, Zarek knocked him back again, into the den. He kept hitting Thanatos until the man landed on the floor by the hearth. He blinked as Thanatos was flung off the floor and into a wall, hard. He looked over and there was Harry in the doorway.

 

“Move it!” Harry snapped at him, sending the Daimon flying again before he pulled his wand and began muttering in Latin before blowing on it. Zarek joined him, watching in awe as fire consumed the room, fire that moved in the shapes of animals.

 

They moved outside and surveyed the flames that were quickly consuming Astrid's house. It was a good thing she was rich. Looked like she was going to need a new place to live after this. Zarek pulled a cigarette out of his coat pocket and smiled. Underneath his breath, he sang the Talking Heads' classic song, " "Three hundred sixty-five degrees... burning down the house.'"

 

Harry looked at him and shook his head in amusement. “You hurt?”

 

“I’m fine. Why are you here?”

 

“Ash of course. He said you were in trouble.”

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Astrid buried her hand in Sasha's fur and used his eyes as her own. He climbed into her lap so that he could look out the window for her. After a few miles, she recognized the scenery as they neared her cabin. But what scared her was the sight of a huge fire off in the distance.

 

Sundown cursed and accelerated.

 

As they came closer, she saw her cabin burning. There were two shadows in front of it, but she couldn't tell who they were. Terrified, she held her breath, hoping it was Zarek who was still alive. It wasn't until Sundown pulled to a stop that she could tell for sure.

 

She went weak with relief. It was Zarek silhouetted by the fire, along with another dark haired man she assumed was another Hunter. Letting go of Sasha, she opened the door and ran toward where she had seen him. Astrid had no idea how he had survived Thanatos or where the Executioner was. All that mattered was getting to Zarek. She wanted to touch him, to make sure he wasn't hurt.

 

Halfway there, a fearful, masculine scream rent the air. Astrid slid to a stop as she tried to pinpoint where it came from. She heard the snow crunching to the side of her and she assumed that was Sundown, heading for Zarek. Sasha came up from behind and nosed her hand with his muzzle. It didn't seem to have come from any of them. Then all of a sudden, an explosion sounded.

 

She dropped to her knees and used Sasha to see what was happening. Her house had blown apart. Fire and debris shot high into the air, blending ominously with the aurora borealis. Out of the midst of the fiery remains came Thanatos. Unmarred and undamaged. Not even his hair was singed. It was a horrifying sight.

 

Zarek cursed. "Don't you ever die?"

 

Thanatos didn't answer. Instead, he moved to slug Zarek who ducked the blow and delivered a staggering one back.

 

Sundown moved toward her. "I've got to get you-"

 

She took off running before Sundown could finish the sentence. "Sasha," she called. "Attack."

 

"Like hell!" Sasha snapped. "I may be your guardian but that is Artemis's pet. I can't kill it. I'll be lucky to even faze him. And you know what people do to injured wolves... They shoot them."

 

Astrid panicked. She couldn't see. She could only hear the grunts of the men fighting, the sound of flesh striking flesh. Someone grabbed her and threw her to the ground, then covered her body with theirs. She screamed.

 

"Stop it!" Zarek snapped. He rolled with her, then pulled her up and pushed her forward.

 

"What's going on?" she asked as he kept moving her forward.

 

"Not much," he said in a bored yet breathless tone. "Some invincible asshole is trying to kill me. And you're not supposed to be here." He let go of her. "Get her out of here, Jess."

 

"I can't."

 

Zarek curled his lip. Had he been able to afford the drain to his powers, he would have slugged Jess for that. Instead, all he could do was whirl around to face Thanatos who was stalking him relentlessly. "What's the matter, Zarek? You afraid to die?"

 

He snorted as he pushed Astrid toward Jess. "Dying's easy. It's living that's hard."

 

Thanatos paused as if the words caught him off guard. It gave Zarek just what he needed. Pulling the Daimon dagger from its concealed sheath inside his boot, he rushed forward and embedded it in Thanatos's chest where a stain that looked like an ink blot should have been. Normally the strike would release the human souls trapped inside a Daimon's body. The force of their exit was usually enough to blow the Daimon apart, causing instant decomposition. This time, it didn't work.

 

Thanatos pulled the dagger out and reached for him. "I'm not a Daimon, Dark-Hunter. Don't you remember? I was an Apollite until I met you."

 

Zarek frowned.

 

Harry moved in, sending Thanos flying away from the confused Zarek. He wondered absently what a killing curse would do to the monster but he didn’t cast it, sticking to standard curses and a few he’d picked up from Snape’s old potions book. He needed to keep its attention on him so the others could get a head start. He glanced back and sighed, they were still there. “Go!” He snapped at them.

 

Thanos got past him and grabbed Zarek again He kneed Thanatos in the groin. The Daimon doubled over. "Dead or alive, the balls still hurt when kicked, huh?" The Daimon hissed and cursed in response. Zarek slammed his combined fists down across Thanatos's back. "If anyone has any suggestion on how to kill this guy, I'm open to it."

 

Jess shook his head. "I'm out of dynamite. You got any grenades?"

 

"Not on me."

 

Thanatos righted himself. "Say die, Dark-Hunter."

 

"Fine. Die, why don't you?" Zarek lowered his head and charged him. They locked arms and hit the ground. Thanatos rose up from him and ripped open his shirt. From the way he moved his hands, Zarek could tell he was looking for the bow-and-arrow mark Jess had mentioned. "Surprise, dickhead, Mama forgot to tell you a few things about me."

 

In the distance, Zarek heard the approach of an engine. He heard its drone over the sound of Jess urging Astrid to leave and Astrid's refusal while Sasha barked and pushed at her. Harry remained at his side, he was doing damage but the bastard healed too fast for it to really slow him down. Suddenly, a snow machine came flying up at the same time Zarek broke from Thanatos.

 

"Duck!"

 

Zarek didn't recognize the voice, and ordinarily, he wouldn't have obeyed, but what the hell? He was tired of getting his butt kicked by this Daimon. He hit the ground and rolled out of the way while the dark green snow machine flew over him. The man on it was dressed all in black with a black helmet. The newcomer skidded to a stop and pulled out a gun. A bright flash of light cut through the darkness. The flare hit Thanatos in the centre of his chest and knocked the Daimon flying.

 

Thanatos roared. "How dare you betray me! You're one of us."

 

The man slung a long leg over the snow machine and reloaded his flare gun as he headed over to where Zarek was still lying on the ground. "Yeah," he said bitterly. "You should have thought of that before you tried to take out Bjorn." The newcomer fired his gun and knocked Thanatos back. "He was the only one of them I could ever stand."

 

The stranger reached down and helped Zarek to his feet. He pulled his helmet off and gave it to Zarek. "Get the woman and get out. Hurry."

 

The minute Zarek met the stranger's eyes, he knew him. This was the only Dark-Hunter he'd ever known who was even more hated than he was. "Spawn?"

 

The blond Apollite Dark-Hunter nodded. "Go," he said, reloading. "I'm the only one who can hold him off, but I can't kill him. For Apollo's sake, someone get a hold of Acheron and tell him the Dayslayer is out."

 

Zarek ran for Astrid.

 

"No!" Thanatos roared.

 

Zarek saw the blast before it left Thanatos's hand. Acting on instinct, he cut back toward Spawn. The blast missed him, but hit Astrid's wolf. The animal yelped, then changed from wolf to man, back to wolf. Zarek drew up short as he realized Astrid's pet was a Katagari Were-Hunter. Now why would a blind woman with a Katagari companion take in a rogue Dark-Hunter?

 

"Sasha?" Astrid called. Jess ran to the Katagari to keep him covered while Zarek went to Astrid. Harry kept between the two groups, working to shield them from anymore blasts.

 

"Your were-buddy got zapped, princess."

 

Fear lined her brow. "Is he okay?"

 

He picked her up, and brought her over to Jess, then cursed as he realized Jess couldn't get both her and the wolf to safety. After an energy blast, the Katagaria tended to flash in and out of their forms for a while. Jess struggled to get the wolf-man to the safety of his Bronco. As soon as he could, Jess left. Zarek put the helmet on Astrid's head. "Looks like it's just you and me, princess. No doubt you're going to wish I'd left you here with the Daimon."

 

Astrid hesitated at the anger and hatred she heard in Zarek's tone of voice. "I trust you, Zarek."

 

"Then you're a fool." Zarek looked at Harry who shook his head.

 

“Go, I’ve got my own ways of getting clear. Keep her safe.” He answered before running back to back Spawn up.

 

He took her arm and led her away so she couldn't hear Spawn and Thanatos. Roughly, he helped her onto a snow machine. She expected him to lead her away from the sound of fighting. Instead, they headed toward it. She covered her face instinctively as something crashed close to them. Harry followed them and Zarek hesitated, looking at him and then the snow machine.

 

"Get on," Zarek snapped. "Hurry."

 

Astrid felt the seat dip, then they were rushing away from all the noise. Astrid's heart pounded as she waited for something else to happen. After what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, Zarek stopped the snow machine. Again she felt motion on the seat as someone got off. Since Zarek's arms were still around her, she assumed it must be Spawn.

 

"Thanks," Spawn said. "I never expected Zarek of Moesia to come to my rescue."

 

"Ditto, Spawn. Since when do Daimons fight their own kind?"

 

Spawn's voice dripped with venom. "I was never a Daimon, Roman."

 

"And I was never a fucking Roman."

 

Spawn gave a short, bitter laugh. "Truce, then?"

 

She felt Zarek shift behind her. "Truce." Zarek seemed to turn around and look in the direction they had come from. "You have any idea what that thing after me is?"

 

"Think Terminator. The only difference is that he has the sanction of Artemis."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"My people have a legend of the Dayslayer. It says that Artemis chose one of our own to be her personal guard. More beloved than any of her people, the Dayslayer has no known vulnerability. Once he's unleashed, his goal is to destroy Dark-Hunters."

 

"So you're telling me he's the Bogeyman?"

 

"You doubt me?"

 

"No. Not after what I've seen."

 

She heard Spawn let out a long breath. "I heard that Artemis had called out a blood hunt for you. I figured it would be Acheron who killed you."

 

"Yeah, well, trust me, I'm not executed yet. It'll take more than that thing to expire me." Zarek paused. "Just out of curiosity, what are all of you doing up here anyway? Did Acheron call for a reunion and not invite me?"

 

"Bjorn came because he was chasing a group of Daimons. I came because I felt the Summoning."

 

"The Summoning?" Astrid asked. In all honesty, she knew very little about the Apollites and Daimons. That was the domain of Apollo and Artemis.

 

"It's like a homing beacon," Spawn explained, "and it's irresistible to anyone with Apollite blood. I can feel Thanatos even now calling out to me. I think the only reason I can resist it is because I'm a Dark-Hunter. If I weren't... Let's just say you're in for one hell of a scary time."

 

Zarek snorted. "Doubtful. So how do I kill him?"

 

"You don't. Artemis made him so that he could track and kill us. He has no known vulnerability. Not even daylight. Worse, he will destroy anyone who tries to shelter you."

 

Shelter you... Again, Zarek's mind flashed to his village. To the old woman who'd died in his arms... What was his brain trying to tell him? "Has Thanatos ever come after me before?" he asked Spawn.

 

Spawn scoffed. "You're still living so obviously the answer is no."

 

Still... Zarek got off the snow machine. "Here, take Astrid and-"

 

"Did you not hear me, Zarek? I can't take her. Thanatos will kill her for sheltering you. She's dead if you leave her."

 

"She's dead if she stays with me."

 

"We all got problems and she happens to be yours. Not mine." Astrid had the distinct feeling Zarek was flipping Spawn off. "Not on your best day, Greek," Spawn said, confirming her suspicion. Zarek sat back down on the snow machine.

 

"Hey, Zarek?" Spawn asked. "Do you have a cell phone with you?"

 

"No, it went down with her house."

 

She heard Spawn's footsteps crunching in the snow as he returned to them. "Take this and call Acheron when you're safe. Maybe he can help you with the woman."

 

"Thanks." The word was more inflected with belligerence than gratitude. "But what are you going to do without a phone or the snow machine?"

 

"Freeze my ass off." There was a small pause. "Don't worry about me. I assure you, I'll be fine."

 

“Wait, where’s the other man?” Astrid asked. Zarek looked to Spawn.

 

“He literally vanished into thin air. Who is he?”

 

“A friend of Acheron’s apparently.” Zarek's arms surrounded her again. She heard him turn the snow machine back on. "Where are we going?" she asked him.

 

"Up Shit Creek sans the paddles."

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Yes, I am insane, but they're safe where they are. I want you to wait for about three hours and then go get her. That should give me enough time." Zarek was saying as Harry found him again.

 

"Enough time for what?" Sundown, Jess, asked.

 

"Don't worry about it. Enter my cabin and tell Astrid who you are. She'll be coming out of hiding with another woman. Be kind to the little one, she belongs to Ash."

 

"What little one?"

 

"You'll see."

 

"In three hours?" Jess repeated.

 

"Yeah."

 

Jess paused for a few seconds. "What about you, Eskimo?"

 

"What about me?"

 

"You're not doing something stupid, are you?"

 

"No. I'm doing something smart." Zarek hung up. He tossed the phone into his backpack and pulled out his cigarettes and lighter. He lit up a cigarette while he waited and sat in the frigid cold missing his coat. But as he thought of the coat, his thoughts turned to Astrid and he warmed up considerably. How he wished he could have made love to her one more time. Felt her skin on his. Her breath on his face. Her hands running over his flesh. He'd never known anything or anyone like her, but then, she was a nymph after all. Wholly unlike anyone else in all the universe. He still couldn't believe the way he felt about her. How was she able to soothe the pain in him that he had thought would never cease? Strange how she took his thoughts away from the past. Away from everything.

 

No wonder Talon had been willing to die for Sunshine. It made total sense to him now. But Zarek didn't want to die for Astrid. He wanted to live for her. He wanted to spend the rest of his immortality by her side. He couldn't. Looking up at the mountains around him, he thought of Olympus. Astrid's home. Mortals couldn't live there and gods didn't live on earth. It was hopeless between them. And he was pragmatic enough to know it. There was no starry-eyed side of him to think for one minute anything could unite them. Any optimism he'd ever felt had been kicked out of him before he was old enough to shave.

 

Still, he couldn't stop the part of him that ached with loss. The part of him that screamed out soul deep for Astrid to stay with him. "Damn you, Fates. Damn all of you." But then, they had. Long, long ago.

 

“You know this isn’t going to end well.” Harry leant against a log beside him and Zarek glanced at him.

 

“Who, what are you?”

 

“Does it really matter?” Harry asked even as he moved upwind of his cigarette.

 

“You need to get out of here while you can.”

 

“I’m not leaving you to face him alone.”

 

“Are you immortal? You were stabbed in the heart in New Orleans, I remember that.”

 

“Not that I’m aware of, I heal fast but that’s it.”

 

“Then chances are you’ll die here.”

 

“Everyone dies somewhere.” Harry stood straight as the sound of a snow machine approaching grew. “Here he comes.”

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Artemis felt the shock wave go through her temple like an earthquake. Something let out an angry, baleful roar. Her attendants looked up, their faces white. Artemis sat up on her throne. If she didn't know better she would think... The door to her private chambers disintegrated. Pieces of it flew through the room as if propelled by a violent tornado.

 

Her women screamed and ran for the door that led outside, seeking shelter from the unexpected maelstrom. Artemis wanted to run, too, but her fear held her immobile.

 

It was extremely rare that she saw this side of Acheron. She was too terrified of him to ever push him this far. He floated out of her bedroom with his long black hair whipping around him. His eyes were blood-red, swirling like fire as his unnatural powers surged. His fangs were overgrown and large. He was the very thing she feared most in the universe. In this state, he could kill her with nothing more than a passing thought. She panicked. If she didn't get him calmed down the other gods would feel his presence and there would be hell to pay for everyone.

 

Most of all for her.

 

She used her powers to mask his, hoping to disguise his abilities as her own. With any luck, the other gods would assume she was having her own tantrum. "Acheron?"

 

He cursed at her in Atlantean and held her back with an invisible wall. She felt his agony. He was in excruciating pain, but she didn't know why. Everything in her temple whirled in the vortex of his powers and rage. The only thing still grounded were the two of them.

 

"Artemis? I have a problem."

 

She flinched as she heard Astrid's voice in her head. "Not now, Astrid. I have a situation here."

 

"Let me guess, Acheron is angry?"

 

"I am past anger, Astrid." His voice was low, deep, and evil sounding. Acheron's bloody gaze pierced Artemis. "How is it Simi is wounded?"

 

Artemis's fear tripled. "The demon's hurt?"

 

"Simi's dying." Astrid and Acheron spoke simultaneously.

 

Artemis covered her mouth. She felt suddenly ill. Sick. Horrified and scared beyond belief. If anything happened to his demon... He would kill her.

 

Acheron used his powers to pull her roughly to him. "Where did Thanatos get one of my daggers, Artemis?"

 

A tremor of guilt went through her with that question. When she had created the first Thanatos seven thousand years ago, she had granted him weapons to slay the Dark-Hunters. At the time she had thought it divine justice that he use one of Acheron's Atlantean daggers to kill them. As soon as Acheron had realized a dagger was missing, he had gathered all his weapons together and destroyed them. Now she understood why. He'd done it to protect his demon. "I didn't know your dagger would hurt it."

 

"Damn you, Artemis. You have taken everything from me. Everything!"

 

She felt his pain, his sorrow. She hated him for that. If she died tomorrow he wouldn't care at all. But for the demon, he wept. Why wouldn't he love and protect her like this? "I'll go get it for you, Acheron."

 

Acheron stopped her from leaving his side. "Don't you do anything, Artemis. I know you. You're not to help or try to heal her in any way. You just pick her up and bring her right back here to me. Swear it on the River Styx."

 

"I swear."

 

He released her. Artemis shimmered from her temple to where Astrid, Simi, and Zarek were hiding underground. The demon lay on the floor with Zarek and Astrid kneeling beside it.

 

"I want Akri!" Simi sobbed. She was screaming and crying hysterically.

 

"Shh," Zarek said, soothing her. He held a tourniquet over her wound. Both the tourniquet and his hand were covered in blood. "You have to calm down, Simi. You're making it worse."

 

"I want my daddy! Take me home, Astrid. I need to go home now."

 

"I can't, Simi. That power is taken from me until I deliver a verdict to my mother."

 

"I want Akri," she wailed again. "I don't want to die without him. I'm scared. Please, please take me home. I just want my daddy."

 

Zarek looked up as a shadow fell over them. It was a face he hadn't seen since the day he'd become a Dark-Hunter. Artemis.

 

Her long auburn hair curled around her lithe, beautiful body. She wore a long, white dress and her green eyes glittered ominously in the dim light of the tunnel.

 

He held his breath, half-expecting her to kill him. No Dark-Hunter was ever allowed to be in the presence of a god.

 

Simi saw her and let out a terrible shriek. "Not her! The heifer goddess is going to kill me!"

 

"Shut up," Artemis snapped. "Believe me, I'd love to see you dead but if you die, I'll never hear the end of it." Artemis picked her up in spite of her struggles.

 

She looked at Astrid and Zarek. "Have you judged him yet?"

 

Before Astrid could answer, the trapdoor behind them burst open. Zarek cursed as he saw Thanatos coming through it. He turned to order Artemis to take Astrid with Simi, but she'd already vanished. He, alone, had to protect her. Damn Artemis for this! "Run!" he shouted at Astrid. He urged her toward the trapdoor that led into his cabin.

 

"What's happening?"

 

"Thanatos is here so unless you've got some god power that can kill him, run!"

 

"Where's Artemis?"

 

"She vaporized."

 

Astrid gave a disgusted look, then did as he said. As Zarek helped her up, Thanatos reached them. Zarek kicked him back.

 

"You're not going to escape me, Dark-Hunter. But then, it's not really you I'm after."

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry froze, head cocked to one side as he listened but the night was silent around him. so what was wrong? He knew something had happened…. Ash, he could feel Ash and he was beyond angry but also scared. He staggered back to his feet and kept walking, he’d exhausted himself helping Zarek against Thanatos and had paid with a sword to the side. Thankfully the bastard had simply left him for dead, giving him peace and time to heal but the wound still ached. He needed to get back to Zarek and the woman, Astrid, whatever she was.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ash grabbed Simi from Artemis the instant she materialized in front of him. He cradled his "baby" gently in his arms as he took her to Artemis's bed.

 

"Akri!" Simi wailed, nuzzling against his chest. "The Simi is hurt. You told me I couldn't get hurt."

 

"I know, Sim, I know." He held her close, half-afraid to pull back her makeshift bandage and see the damage done to her.

 

Her tears fell down her cheeks, making his own eyes well up. Out of habit, he started singing to her, an ancient Atlantean lullaby he used to sing to her when she was barely more than a hatchling. She calmed a bit. Ash wiped the tears from her cold cheeks, then pulled the cloth away. His dagger had sliced through her, narrowly missing her heart, but the wound was clean and the blood flow had slowed. Thanks to Zarek, no doubt. He owed the man more than he could ever repay. Summoning his powers, Ash laid his hand over her wound and healed her injury.

 

Simi glanced around, then she looked at him. "Simi better?'

 

He nodded and smiled. "Simi all better."

 

Simi looked at her chest. She pulled her shirt up and looked underneath it, too, as if to verify to herself that she was okay. Laughing, she threw herself into his arms. Ash held her, grateful beyond measure that she hadn't died. He held her close until she whined for him to let her go.

 

Kissing her brow, he released her. "Return to me, Simi."

 

For once, she didn't argue. In dragon form, she placed herself over his heart. It was where she belonged. Turning slowly, Ash faced Artemis.

 

In a pique, she stood with her hands on her hips and her body tensed. "Oh, come on, you're not still mad. I did the right thing. I brought it back to you."

 

"Her!" he barked, making her jump. "Simi isn't an it, Artemis. She's a her and I want for once to hear you say her name."

 

She stuck her chin out defiantly. Narrowing her green eyes, she forced herself to say, "Simi."

 

He inclined his head in approval. "As for the right thing... no, Artie. The right thing would have been to not steal from me. The right thing would have been to listen to me when I told you not to create another Thanatos. What you did today was the smart thing. Because of that, I'm not going to do the wrong thing and kill you. But Thanatos is another matter."

 

"You can't leave here to kill him."

 

"I don't have to leave here to kill him."

 

"Zarek..." Ash's voice whispered in his mind.

 

Zarek flinched as his eyesight came back unexpectedly. "What the hell?" Five shining claws appeared on his left hand. Zarek smiled at the sight of them as he balled his hand into a fist and felt the sharp ends of his finger caps biting into his palm. Ash had always known him just a little too well.

 

"There's a crescent moon between Thanatos's shoulder blades," Ash's voice whispered. "Stab it and he's dead. Artemis never creates anything without an off switch."

 

Zarek flipped himself up to stand.

 

Thanatos arched a surprised brow. "So you do have more fight in you."

 

"Looks like the devil just hiked his ass up to Alaska to see the snow. C'mon, punk, let's dance." Zarek hit him, and Thanatos flew back. It appeared Ash had given him more than his claws. Strength and power surged through him unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. Zarek took a deep breath as all the pain he felt vanished.

 

Thanatos struck him across the face. Zarek laughed as the pain came and went. It didn't even faze him. Thanatos paled. "Yeah, you should be scared." He knocked him back. "It sucks when you're not the baddest thing out here, huh?" Zarek picked him up and tossed him. Thanatos rolled in the snow. He tried to get up and fell back. Zarek stalked him. It was time to put an end to this. He placed his foot on Thanatos's back to hold him down and ripped open his coat and shirt to reveal the crescent sign. So Ash hadn't lied.

 

"You can kill me, Dark-Hunter, but it won't take away the fact you should die for killing Dirce. She was innocent and you slaughtered her."

 

Zarek hesitated. "Dirce?"

 

"Do you not even remember her?" Thanatos tensed in rage as he twisted to look up at him accusingly. "She was only twenty years old when you cut her down."

 

Zarek's thoughts flashed to what Simi had shown him in her eyes... The blond woman Thanatos had impaled on his sword. "She was yours?"

 

"My wife, you bastard."

 

Zarek stared at Thanatos's mark. He should kill him. But he couldn't. Both of them had been screwed by the same person. Artemis. And it wasn't fair that he should kill Thanatos for wanting revenge. Vengeance was something he understood all too well. Hell, he'd sold his own soul for it. How could he fault Thanatos for doing the same? Zarek heard the sound of a snow machine headed back toward him. He knew without looking that it was Astrid. No doubt she'd turned around the instant he'd been distracted by the fight. He used the powers Ash had given him to bind Thanatos to the ground. The Daimon screamed for release. He screamed for death. Zarek knew the sound of both. Many nights he'd lain awake doing the same thing. If he were merciful, he would kill him. But that wasn't his job. He was a Dark-Hunter, and Thanatos... Zarek would leave him for Acheron to deal with.

 

Astrid parked the snow machine and came running up to him. Her eyes were a deeper blue now that she could see. "Is he contained?"

 

He nodded. She threw herself into his arms. Zarek stumbled backward. "Easy, princess. The only reason I'm standing and not sitting is mere strength of will."

 

Astrid looked past Zarek and saw Thanatos on the ground, cursing both of them. "Why didn't you kill him?"

 

"Not my place. Besides, I'm through being Artemis's lapdog. It's time I told the 'heifer goddess' to get lost."

 

Astrid went pale. "You can't just leave, Zarek. She'll kill you."

 

He smiled grimly. "Let her try. I'm in the mood to fight." He snorted at that. "Then again, I'm always in the mood to fight."

 

Astrid held her breath at his words. They gave her hope.

 

"What about us?" she asked.

 

For the first time she could see the anguish on his face as he looked at her, see the pain in his midnight eyes. "There is no us, princess. There never was."

 

Astrid opened her mouth to argue, but before she could, her mother appeared with Sasha, who was in his human form. Astrid gave her a droll look. "You're a little late, Mom."

 

"Blame your sisters. Atty told me to stay put. I came as soon as she would let me."

 

Sasha curled his lip at Zarek who glared back at him.

 

"Sorry, Scooby, I'm all out of LivaSnaps."

 

Sasha curled his lips. "I really hate you."

 

Zarek gave him a matching sneer. "Feeling's entirely mutual."

 

Themis ignored the men as she addressed Astrid. "Have you judged him, daughter?"

 

"He's innocent." She pointed to Thanatos, who was still cursing them. "There's the proof of his mercy and humanity." An ear-piercing shriek sounded. It was followed by total silence.

 

"What the hell was that?" Zarek asked.

 

"Artemis," Astrid said in unison with her mother and Sasha.

 

Themis sighed. "I wouldn't want to be in Acheron's place tonight."

 

"Why?" Zarek asked.

 

It was Sasha who answered. "Never piss off a goddess. There's no telling what she'll do to him for getting you off the hook."

 

Zarek felt ill as he remembered some of the things Acheron had said to him in the past that hinted at the fact Artemis took her anger out on him. "She doesn't really punish him?" The looks on their faces gave him the truth. Zarek winced as he remembered all the times Ash had asked him to make it easy on him. All the times he had told Ash to burn in hell. Sasha made his way to Thanatos.

 

"What's to become of him?" Zarek asked.

 

Themis shrugged. "It's up to Artemis. He belongs to her."

 

Zarek sighed at that. "Maybe I should have killed him after all." Astrid used her sleeve to blot at the blood on his face.

 

"No," her mother said. "What you did for Simi and my daughter along with the mercy you showed Thanatos is why I'm allowing her verdict to stand even though she violated her impartiality oath." Astrid smiled up at him, but he didn't feel happy with the way things had turned out. "Come, Astrid," her mother said. "We need to go home."

 

Zarek couldn't take his eyes off her as those words wedged into his heart like a knife. Let her go...

 

He had to.

 

And yet every molecule of his body was screaming at him to keep her. To reach out and take her hand in his.

 

"Have you anything to say about that, Dark-Hunter?" her mother asked.

 

He did, but the words wouldn't come. Zarek had been strong all his life. He would be strong tonight. He would never bind her to him. It wouldn't be right.

 

"Sometimes stars do fall to earth."

 

He heard Acheron's words in his mind. It was true. They did and then they became commonplace like the rest of the dirt on the planet. His star was one of a kind. He would never allow her to be like any other. Never allow her to become common or sullied. No, her place was in the sky. With her family. With her stinking pet wolf. Never with him. "Have a nice life, princess."

 

Astrid's lips trembled. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. "You too, Prince Charming." Her mother took her hand while Sasha collected Thanatos. In the blink of an eye they vanished.

 

Everything was the way it had been before she came. And yet nothing was the same. Zarek stood in the middle of his yard alone. There was no wind. Everything was motionless. Still. Calm. Everything except for his heart, which was breaking. Astrid was gone. It was for her own good. So why did he feel so broken-hearted?

 

As Zarek hung his head, he noticed the blood that was dripping from his arm. He'd best tend the wound before any bears or wolves caught its scent. Sighing, he went into his empty cabin, shut the door and bolted it. He crossed the room to his cupboard and opened it. There was really no way to tend the wound here. Since his generator had never been delivered, the water had frozen in the cold and there was no heat to thaw anything out. Even his peroxide was frozen solid. Zarek cursed and put the peroxide back in his pantry, then grabbed a bottle of vodka instead. It was slushy and thick, but still liquid.

 

He heard a faint ringing coming from outside. Going back out into his yard, he retrieved his backpack that Astrid had left. The mink and her kits were still inside and still cranky. Ignoring them, Zarek pulled his phone out. "Yeah?" he said, answering it.

 

"It's Jess. I just got a call from Acheron telling me and Andy to go home. I wanted to check in with you first, make sure you were still alive."

 

Zarek took the mink and her kits into his house and set them back inside the safety of his stove. "Since I answered the phone, my guess is yes, I'm still living."

 

"Smart-ass. You still need me to come get Astrid?"

 

"No, she's..." He choked on the word. Clearing his throat, he forced it out. "She's gone."

 

"I'm sorry."

 

"For what?" Silence hung between them.

 

After a few seconds, Jess spoke again. "By the way, did anyone ever tell you about Sharon? In all the commotion, I didn't have time."

 

Zarek paused, his hand on the stove. "What about her?"

 

"Thanatos hurt her trying to find you, but she'll be okay. Otto is going to stay up here for a few more days to make sure she gets a new house and has someone to take care of her when she comes home from the hospital. I just thought you'd want to know. I... uh... I sent her some flowers from you."

 

He let out a slow breath. It pained him that she'd been hurt and he hadn't even known. He ruined everything he touched. "Thanks, Jess. It was a kind thing you did for me. I appreciate it." Something struck the phone's receiver. Hard. It caused Zarek's ear to ring.

 

"Excuse me?" Jess asked in disbelief. "This is Frozen Zarek I'm talking to, right? Not some weird pod person?"

 

He shook his head at Jess's joking. "It's me, dickless."

 

"Hey, now, that's way too personal. I don't need to know that much about you."

 

Zarek gave a half-hearted smile. "Shut up."

 

"All right, then. I'm going to head out and let Mike take my ass out of here while I still got some of it left unfrozen... Oh, hey, by the way, Spawn headed out a while back. Said to tell you not to worry about returning his phone. You know, he's not half-bad for an Apollite and he's not that far from here. Maybe you ought to call him sometime."

 

"You playing matchmaker?"

 

"Um, no. Definitely not, and again you're freaking me out with that entire train of thought. I've heard enough stories about you Greeks and all that. In fact, tell you what, forget I said anything at all about Spawn. I'm out of here. You take care, Z. I'll see you online."

 

Zarek hung up the phone and turned it off. Might as well. Jess was the only person who ever called him anyway.

 

“Guess I missed the fight.”

 

Zarek turned to see Ash’s friend. “You did.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Thought you were dead.”

 

“I’m not that easy to kill. Astrid?”

 

“Gone.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Harry moved up next to him and studied the cabin before smiling softly. “Everyone deserves happiness Zarek.” He waved his hand and the cabin changed somehow. “Love is the most powerful force in the universe, don’t let it go.” With that he vanished again and Zarek got the feeling he was gone for good.

 

He walked inside and stood in the centre of his cabin, aching so much that he could barely breathe. But was this his cabin? It was bigger and there was a roaring open fire place, warming it up so he could remove his coat. He ignored it though, not wanting to think what Harry could have done. Alone now, he needed Astrid in a way that defied his ability to comprehend. He wanted something of hers. No, he needed something. Sliding the old stove aside, he went back to his tunnel where he could remember holding her, relieved it was still there. Down here in the darkness, he could pretend she was still with him. If he closed his eyes, he could even pretend she was in his dreams. But it wasn't her. Not really. Zarek let out a ragged breath and picked his coat up from the ground. As he started to pull it on, he caught a whiff of roses. Astrid. He clutched the coat to his skin, burying his face deep in the fur so that he could capture her scent. He held it in trembling hands as emotions and memories crashed through him, racking him. He needed her. Oh, gods, he loved her. He loved her more than he'd ever imagined possible. He remembered every touch she'd given him. Every laugh she'd had around him. The way she'd made him human. And he didn't want to live without her. Not for one moment. Not a single one.

 

Zarek fell to his knees, unable to deal with the thought of never seeing her again. Holding his coat that smelled of her, he wept.

 

Ash pulled away from Zarek, giving him privacy to grieve. Artemis was outside in the temple courtyard, having one of her screaming tantrums over the verdict while he was alone in her throne room with Simi safe on his chest. "What fools these mortals be," he breathed.

 

But then he too had been a fool for love. Love made fools of everyone. Gods and man alike. Still, he couldn't believe Zarek had let Astrid go any more than he could believe Astrid had left.

 

Artemis materialized before him. "How is this possible?" she railed. "Never in the entire history of her life has she judged a man innocent!"

 

He looked at her calmly. "Only because she's never before judged an innocent man."

 

"I hate you!"

 

He laughed bitterly at that. "Oh, please don't get my hopes up. You almost gave me a hard-on with that thought. At least tell me this time your hatred will last more than five minutes."

 

She tried to slap him, but he caught her hand. So instead she kissed him, then tore away from his lips shrieking. Ash shook his head as she vanished again. She would calm down in time. She always did. But he had other things to worry about at the moment. Closing his eyes, he breached the distance between Olympus and the human world.

 

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Zarek jerked his head up to find himself in the middle of a white and gold room. It was huge, with a gold-domed ceiling embossed with wildlife scenes. The room was encircled with white marble columns and in the centre sat a large ivory settee. What surprised him most was to see Acheron standing in front of the settee, staring at him with those strange swirling silver eyes. The Atlantean had long, golden-blond hair and looked strangely vulnerable-which for Acheron was an impossibility. He was dressed in a pair of tight black leather pants and wore a long-sleeved black silk shirt that had been left unbuttoned.

 

"Thank you for Simi," Acheron said, inclining his head toward him. "I appreciate what you did for her when she was wounded."

 

Zarek cleared his throat, rose to his feet, and aimed an angry glare at Acheron. "Why did you fuck with my head?"

 

"I had to. There are some things people are better off not knowing."

 

"You let me think I had killed my own people."

 

"Would the truth have been any easier on you? Instead of the old crone's face, you would have been haunted by the face of a young woman and her husband. Not to mention you would have had the knowledge to kill any Dark-Hunter who got in your way, including Valerius, and had you done that, I wouldn't have been able to save you. Ever."

 

Zarek flinched at the mention of his brother. As much as he hated to admit it, Ash was right. He might very well have used his knowledge to kill Valerius. "You have no right to play with people's minds."

 

Acheron's agreement stunned him. "No, I don't. And believe it or not, I seldom do. But that's not why you're really mad, now is it?"

 

Zarek tensed. "I don't know what you mean."

 

"Yes you do, Z." He closed his eyes and cocked his head as if listening to something. "I know every thought inside you. Just as I did that night you slaughtered the Apollites and Daimons after Taberleigh. I tried to give you peace of mind by eliminating your memories, but you wouldn't take it. I couldn't stop your dreams and M'Adoc wouldn't help. For that I apologize. But right now you have a much bigger problem than what I did to you when I tried to help."

 

"Yeah? What's that?"

 

Acheron held his hand up and projected an image from his palm. Zarek's breath caught as he saw Astrid weeping. She sat in a small atrium with three other women who were holding her as she cried. He walked toward the image, only to remember he couldn't really touch it.

 

"It hurts so much," she sobbed.

 

"Atty, do something!" a blond woman said, looking at the redheaded woman who appeared to be the eldest. "Go kill him for hurting her."

 

"No," Astrid wailed. "Don't you dare. I'll never forgive you if you hurt him."

 

"Who are those women with her?" Zarek asked.

 

"The three Fates. Atty, or Atropos, is the one with red hair. Clotho is the one with blond hair holding Astrid, and the dark-headed one is Lachesis, or Lacy."

 

Zarek stared at them, his heart breaking at the pain he'd caused Astrid. The last thing he had ever wanted was to hurt her. "Why are you showing me this?"

 

Acheron answered his question with one of his own. "Do you remember what I said to you in New Orleans?"

 

Zarek looked at him wryly. "You said a lot of shit to me then."

 

So Acheron repeated it." ' The past is dead; Z. Tomorrow will become whatever decision you make.'” Acheron's gaze burned into him. "With Dionysus's help you blew it that night in New Orleans when you attacked the cops, but you bought yourself another chance when you saved Sunshine." Ash indicated Astrid. "You have another crucial choice here, Z. What will you decide?" Acheron closed his hand and the image of Astrid and her sisters vanished. "Everyone deserves to be loved, Zarek. Even you."

 

"Shut up!" he snarled. "You don't know what you're talking about, Your Highness." Zarek spat the title out. He was so sick of people lecturing him when they were ignorant of what he'd been through. It was easy for someone like Acheron to tell him about love. What did a prince know about people hating him? Despising him? When had anyone ever spat on the Atlantean? But Acheron didn't speak. At least not with words. Instead, an image came into Zarek's mind. One of a blond teenager in chains in the middle of an ancient Greek home. The boy was bloody while being beaten. He was begging those around him for mercy. Zarek's breath caught as he recognized the youth...

 

"I understand you in a way no one else can," Acheron said quietly. "You have a rare chance, Z. Don't fuck it up."

 

For the first time ever, he listened to Acheron. And he looked on him with a newfound respect. They were far more alike than he could have guessed and he wondered how Acheron had found the humanity that had abandoned Zarek so long ago. "What if I hurt her?" Zarek asked.

 

"Do you plan on hurting her?"

 

"No, but I can't live here and she-"

 

"Why don't you ask her, Z?"

 

"What about her mother?"

 

"What about her? You were willing to fight Artemis for Thanatos. Isn't Astrid worth just as much?"

 

"More." He met Ash's gaze with fired determination. "Where is she?" Before Zarek could blink, he found himself in the atrium Acheron had shown him.

 

Atty looked up with a hiss. "No man is allowed here!" The one Acheron had called Clotho started to attack him. But she pulled up sharply as Acheron appeared beside him.

 

Zarek ignored them as he concentrated on Astrid who sat there with tears in her eyes, staring at him as if he were an apparition. His heart pounding, he walked over to her and knelt down before her chair. "Stars aren't supposed to cry," he whispered so that only she could hear him. "They're supposed to laugh."

 

"How can I laugh when I have no heart?"

 

He took her hand into his and kissed the tip of every finger. "You have a heart." He placed her hand over his. "One that only beats for you, princess."

 

She offered him a trembling smile. "Why are you here, Zarek?"

 

He brushed the tears from her cheeks. "I'm here to collect my rose, if she'll come home with me."

 

"Don't even go there," Atty cried. "Astrid, please don't tell me you're going to listen to that drivel?"

 

"He's a man, baby sister," Lacy chimed in. "If his lips are moving, he's lying."

 

"Why don't the three of you stay out of this?" Acheron said.

 

Atty stiffened. "Excuse me? We're the Fates and-" A sideways glare from Acheron cut her off midstream. "Why don't we leave them alone?" Atty said to her sisters. The three of them hurried off while Acheron watched Zarek and Astrid with his arms folded over his chest.

 

Zarek still hadn't taken his gaze off Astrid. "You going to be a voyeur, Ash?"

 

"Depends. You going to give me something to look at?"

 

"If you keep standing there, I am." He looked over his shoulder then.

 

Acheron inclined his head to him and turned around to leave. As he did so, the breeze caught a portion of his shirt and blew it back, showing a flash of one shoulder. Zarek started at the red welts it revealed. Welts he knew from experience came from a whip.

 

"Wait!" Astrid said, stopping Acheron. "What about Zarek's soul?"

 

Acheron stiffened ever so slightly before he called out, "Artemis?"

 

She shimmered in beside him. "What?" she snarled back.

 

He nodded toward them. "Astrid wants Zarek's soul."

 

"Oh, like I care, and what is he doing here anyway?" She narrowed her eyes at Astrid. "You should know better than to bring him here."

 

Ash cleared his throat. "I brought Zarek here."

 

"Oh." Artemis calmed instantly. "Why did you do that?"

 

"Because they belong together." He smiled ironically. "It's fated."

 

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Don't even go there."

 

Astrid came to her feet. "I want Zarek's soul, Artemis. Return it to him."

 

"I don't have it." They were all stunned by her words.

 

"What do you mean you don't have it?" Acheron asked, his tone sharp and angry. "Don't tell me you lost it."

 

"Of course not." She looked over at Zarek and Astrid, and if Zarek didn't know better, he'd say she looked embarrassed. "I never really took it." All three of them stared at her in disbelief.

 

"Come again?" Ash asked.

 

Artemis curled her lip as she looked at Zarek. "I couldn't take it. That would have involved my touching him and he was disgusting back then." She shuddered. "There was no way I would have put my hand on him. He smelled."

 

Open-mouthed, Acheron looked at Zarek. "You lucky bastard." Then he turned back to Artemis. "If you didn't touch him, how has he been an immortal Dark-Hunter all this time?"

 

Artemis gave him a haughty sneer. "You don't know everything after all, now do you, Acheron?" He took a step toward her and she squeaked, putting more distance between them. "I injected him with ichor," she said quickly.

 

Zarek was stunned. Ichor was a mineral found in the blood of the gods that was said to make them immortal.

 

"What about his Dark-Hunter powers?" Acheron asked.

 

"Those I gave to him separately, along with the fangs and such so that you wouldn't realize he wasn't like the others."

 

Acheron gave her a tired, repugnant stare. "Oh, I know I'm going to hate the answer for this one. But I have to know. What about the sunshine, Artemis? Since he has his soul my guess is he was never banished from daylight, was he?" The look on her face confirmed it.

 

"You bitch!" Zarek snarled, rushing toward her. To his surprise, it was Acheron who stopped him from reaching her. "Let me go. I want to rip her throat out!"

 

Astrid pulled him back. "Leave her alone, Zarek. She has her own problems."

 

Zarek hissed at Artemis, baring his fangs. Fangs that instantly vanished. Zarek ran his tongue over his human teeth.

 

"A gift," Acheron said.

 

Zarek calmed a degree and then even more when he realized Astrid had her arms wrapped around his waist. Her front was tight against his back so that he could feel her breasts against his spine. Closing his eyes, he savoured the feel of her.

 

"You are free of Artemis, Zarek," Astrid said in his ear. "You've been judged innocent and you're immortal. Tell me, what do you want to do with the rest of eternity?"

 

"I want to go lie on the beach someplace warm."

 

Astrid's heart caught at his words. She'd foolishly thought he would say something about her. "I see."

 

"But most of all," he said, turning in her arms to face her, "I want to piss off everyone."

 

"Everyone?" she asked, her heart breaking even more.

 

"Yeah," he said, granting her a rare smile. "The way I figure it, if I leave you, only me and you are unhappy. If I take you with me, everyone but us is pissed, especially that mangy thing you call a wolf. That has serious appeal for me."

 

She arched a brow at that. "If you're trying to woo me with that one, Prince Charming, you've-"

 

He stopped her words with a kiss so supreme that her toes curled. Her heart pounded. Zarek nipped her lips, then pulled back to stare down at her. "Come away with me, Astrid."

 

"Why should I?"

 

His gaze burned into hers. "Because I love you, and even if I'm lying on the sun itself I'll be freezing there without you. I need my star so that I can hear laughter."

 

Laughing with excitement, she gave him an "Eskimo" kiss. "Bora Bora, here we come."

 

Zarek finished her words off with a real kiss. A really l-o-n-g one.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Artemis sat alone on her throne, toying with her pillows. Acheron had been gone a long time now and she was beginning to worry. He couldn't leave Olympus, but he could do other things... Things that could get her into a great deal of trouble if Zeus ever learned of them. Maybe she had been foolish to let him have an afternoon of freedom on her mountain. Just as she was ready to go find him, the doors of her temple opened. She smiled at the sight of Acheron striding through them. Her Acheron was gorgeous.

 

His long blond hair flowed around his shoulders and the black leather pants hugged a body that had been created for seduction. A body made to please others.

 

The doors closed behind him.

 

Her body warm, she pushed herself up in sweet expectation. She recognized the feral look in his eyes. The raw, unadulterated hunger. Desire flowed thick and heavy through her veins as she felt the moisture suddenly pooling between her legs.

 

This was the Acheron she loved best. The predator. The one who took what he wanted and didn't negotiate. His clothes dissolved from his body as he neared her. So did her own.

 

She shivered at the magnitude of his powers. Powers that made a mockery of hers. He'd gone too long without feeding. They both knew it. Whenever he reached a certain point, his compassion died and he became amoral and unfeeling. He'd reached that point.

 

She moaned as he grabbed her and pulled her close to his hard, muscular body. His erection burned against her hip. "What do you want, Acheron?" she asked, but her breathlessness betrayed her affected nonchalance.

 

His hot gaze swept her naked body, making her burn even more. "You know what I want," he said hoarsely in Atlantean. "After all I'm the top of the Food Chain and you... you're the Food." His eyes flashed to red as he parted her thighs.

 

Artemis groaned and came as soon as he masterfully entered her. Her head swimming, she held him close, running her hands over his smooth, muscled back as he thrust himself deep inside her over and over again in a pounding rhythm that made her dizzy. Yes, this was what she wanted. This was the Acheron she had fallen in love with. The man she would defy even the very gods to keep. The man for whom she had broken every rule so that she could bind him to her forever. He made love to her furiously, his hunger building and firing her own.

 

Artemis leaned her head to the side waiting for what she knew was coming.

 

Acheron's eyes swirled like red fire an instant before he lowered himself and sank his teeth into her neck so that he could feed from her.

 

Artemis cried out as they came in unison. As his powers coursed through her, blinding her to everything except the powerful feel of him inside her.

 

She could pretend to rule him all she wanted to, but at the end of the day she knew the truth. He ruled her. And she hated him for that.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry sat on his couch, glad to be back in the warmth again and very happy that Zarek had survived. He pulled his shirt up and looked down at the new scars he’d gained in the last week, one over his heart and one through his side. Something was happening to him, he just didn’t know what. And he was worried about Ash. He knew how Ash felt about Artemis, that he’d loved her once but now hated her. It must kill him to be there with her all this time. But there was nothing he could do, he was just a wizard and she was a goddess.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Zarek lay on the beach letting the sun and hot wind sear his skin. Oh, the feel of it! They had been here for close to a month now and still he couldn't get enough of being on the beach. Of being with Astrid, night and day. He felt something cold fall on his chest. Opening his eyes, he saw Astrid above him, smiling down as she watched him. She held a small bowl in one hand and a glass in the other. "Careful, princess, you know I hate it whenever something cold touches me."

 

She knelt down beside him, and set the bowl aside before wiping the drop of water off his chest, her touch more searing than the sun. Her gaze travelled over his body, down to his swim shorts that now had a rather large bump in them. She smiled wickedly at that. "You know; I remember watching a movie once..."

 

He was suspicious of the gleam in her eye. "Yeah?" She pulled an ice cube from her glass and placed it in her mouth. Zarek watched, transfixed by the sight of her licking it. She pulled it out, then placed it on his skin. "Astrid..."

 

"Shh," she said, circling his nipple until it was hard and firm. She blew her hot breath across it, causing him to swell even more. "You know what the best part is about being cold, don't you?"

 

"What?"

 

"Thawing you out."

 

Zarek moaned as she lowered her mouth to him and flicked her tongue back and forth over his nipple. When she pulled back, he whimpered a small protest. She ignored it and dodged his hands.

 

"Before I forget-" she said, playfully pushing his hands aside, "and if I keep doing this, I will forget-I have something for you."

 

Zarek leaned up on his elbows. "Please don't tell me Scooby's coming to visit."

 

She rolled her eyes at him. "No. Sasha is staying at Sanctuary in New Orleans for the time being. Since we've been staying at the beach he refuses to come 'see your naked ass' lest he go blind from it."

 

Zarek looked less than amused. "So what is it then?" She handed him her bowl. Zarek looked at the contents, which reminded him a bit of lemon Jell-O. "What is that?"

 

"Ambrosia. One bite of it and I can take you home with me to Olympus. Otherwise I have to leave you here in three days and go home alone."

 

"Why?"

 

She smoothed the frown from his forehead with her fingertips. "You know I can't live here on earth. I can only stay for a brief time. If you want to, you can stay and I'll come back when I can, but-"

 

He stopped her words with a kiss. Zarek pulled back. "What will the others say when you show up with a slave by your side?"

 

"You're not a slave, Zarek, and I don't care what they say. Do you?"

 

He snorted at that. "Not at all." She held the ambrosia up to his lips. Zarek gave her a quick kiss, then ate the ambrosia and drank her nectar. He expected it to hurt or burn, but it went down just like the cotton candy she once gave him. The sweet, sugary taste dissolved instantly in his mouth. "Is that it?" he asked suspiciously.

 

She nodded. "That's it. What? Were you expecting fireworks or something?"

 

"No, I only expect those when I make love to you."

 

"Aww," she breathed, rubbing her nose against his. "I love it when you talk nice to me."

 

Zarek kissed her hand, then started laughing as he thought over everything that had happened since he met her.

 

"What's so funny?" Astrid asked.

 

"I'm just thinking, here I am a slave who touched a star who then made him a demigod. I have to be the luckiest bastard who ever lived."

 

Her blue eyes burned into his. "Yes, you are, Prince Charming, and don't you ever forget it."

 

"Believe me, princess. I won't."

 

_TBC….._


	12. ch12

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

**Chapter 12**

Harry rolled over and smiled as he found the other half of the bed occupied. “Welcome back.” He whispered and Ash opened his eyes, revealing swirling silver. “You okay?” Harry reached out to gently touch his arm, knowing how strong his aversion to touch had become over the centuries but also wanting him to know he was there for him.

 

“I’m not the one who took on Thanatos.” He argued and Harry shrugged. “Harry?”

 

Harry sighed but pulled the sheet down and then his shirt up to reveal the new scar.

 

“Sword.”

 

“Yeah, it’s why I wasn’t there for the final showdown. Was busy healing.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“For what?” Harry leant up on an elbow.

 

“You wouldn’t be hurt if I hadn’t asked you to go.”

 

Harry rolled his eyes, shifting closer to Ash. “This isn’t your fault Ash, I grew up in a war, not my first scars. It was my choice to step between you and your brother, to go to Alaska. I knew the risks. And I did save at least one of your men in the process.”

 

Ash nodded, understanding what he was saying but he still hated that Harry had gotten hurt again while helping him. He shifted slightly and Harry smiled, curling into him, sending a bit of healing magic into him, sensing he was still in pain. Ash felt the pain fade and smiled at Harry. He closed his eyes and relaxed, feeling Harry drift back to sleep before he fell asleep as well.

 

Neither sensed the presence watching them, anger growing. He would pay for daring to think he could be with someone else.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry grabbed his laptop and books, putting them back in his bag as the room emptied, class finished. He headed into the halls and smiled as he spotted a familiar man. “Hey Julian.” He greeted and the demigod smiled at him.

 

“Hello Harry, how’s class?”

 

“Good. Drowning in assignments at the moment.”

 

“Makes me glad I never actually attended.” He whispered so no one else would hear and Harry laughed.

 

“Cheat.” He teased.

 

Julian was relieved to find the young man was so much lighter and happier now than when he’d first started. He had really been worried for him, then again being involved in their world wasn’t exactly safe. “How’s Acheron, haven’t seen him around in a while.”

 

“He’s good, he’s been out of town, got back three days ago.” Harry stumbled slightly as another students bag his side, wincing slightly.

 

“Are you alright?” Julian had seen the wince.

 

“Sword wounds hurt.” He admitted softly and Julian’s eyes widened before he pulled Harry into his office.

 

“What happened?”

 

Harry sighed and leant against the desk. “Asch was unavailable and Zarek was in trouble so I went to Alaska. It was not a fun trip but Zarek is fine, even has a girlfriend now and none of the good guys died.”

 

“Zarek? Kyrian mentioned him once, not the first Dark Hunter I’d guess would go free.”

 

“But one who really needed it.” Harry smiled sadly. “I’m meeting Ash for lunch, see you later.” Harry left the office and headed for his bike.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Stunned, Bride McTierney stared at the letter in her hand and blinked. She blinked again. It couldn't really say what she thought it said. Could it? Was it a joke? But as she read it again for the fourth time, she knew it wasn't. The rotten, cowardly SOB had actually broken up with her via her own FedEx account.

 

Sorry, Bride,

But I need a woman more in keeping with my celebrity image. I'm going places and I need the kind of woman at my side who will help me, not hinder me.

I'll have your things delivered to your building. Here's some money for a hotel room tonight in case you don't have any vacant rooms.

Best,

Taylor

 

"You sorry, sycophantic, scum-sucking dog," she snarled as she read it again and pain engulfed her so profoundly that it was all she could do not to burst into tears. Her boyfriend of five years was breaking up with her through a letter that he'd charged to her business account? "Damn you to hell, you filthy snake!" she snarled. Normally Bride would sooner cut her own head off than cuss, but this this warranted serious language. And an axe to her ex-boyfriend's head. She fought the urge to scream. And the need she felt to get into her SUV, go over to his television station, and pound him into itty-bitty bloody pieces. Damn him! A tear rolled down her cheek. Bride wiped it away and sniffed. She wouldn't cry over this. He so wasn't worth it. Really, he wasn't, and deep inside she wasn't surprised. For the last six months, she'd known this was coming. Had felt it every time Taylor put her on another diet or signed her up for another exercise program.

 

“Sorry, is this a bad time?”

 

Bride jumped at the sound of a male voice, turning to find a young man in the doorway. She straightened up and shoved the letter in the desk draw. “Can I help you?” She was proud when her voice didn’t waver, even as she tried to subtly wipe the tears away.

 

“I’m looking for a present but I can come back later. Is there someone I can call for you?”

 

“I…” She was not going to cry in front of a stranger in her own store!

 

“I’m Harry.” He introduced himself before moving to pull the decorative chair around and gently push her down into it. “You need a good cup of hot chocolate.” He spotted the kitchenette and went to work while Bride watched in shock. Soo she was drinking the hot drink and began feeling better. “Drink up and call a friend, okay?” She nodded. “I’ll come by another day for that gift.” He slipped from the shop, he hoped things worked out for her. He spotted the one of the wolves he and Ash had helped and nodded before slipping into an alley and apparating back home.

 

Vane paused as he neared one of those women's shops that were scattered throughout the French Quarter, nodding as he spotted the man who had helped save his sister before looking at the building he had just left. It was a large redbrick building trimmed in black and burgundy. The entire front of it was made of glass that showed inside where the store was littered with lacy women's things and delicate, feminine tchotchkes. But it wasn't the merchandise that made him pause. It was her. The woman he'd thought he would never see again. Bride.

 

He'd seen her only once and then only briefly as he guarded Sunshine Runningwolf in Jackson Square while the artist had sold her artwork to tourists. Oblivious to him, Bride had come up to Sunshine and the two of them had talked for a few minutes. Then Bride had walked out of his life completely. Even though he'd wanted to follow after her, Vane had known better. Humans and wolves didn't mix. And definitely not wolves who were as screwed up as he was. So he'd sat idly by even while every molecule of his body had screamed out for him to go after her. Bride had been the most beautiful woman Vane had ever seen. She still was.

 

Her long auburn hair was pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head that left curls of it to caress her porcelain face. She wore a long, black dress that flowed around her body as she sat on a chair near the window, drinking from a mug.

 

Every animal instinct in his body roared to life as he saw her again. The feeling was primal. Demanding. Needful. And it wouldn't listen to reason. Against his will, he found himself headed toward her. It wasn't until he had opened the burgundy door that he realized she was crying. Fierce anger tore through him. It was bad enough that his life sucked, the last thing he wanted was to see someone like her cry.

 

Bride paused her sipping and looked up as she heard someone entering her shop. Her breath caught in her throat. Never in her life had she seen a more handsome man. Never. At first glance his hair was dark brown, but in reality it was made up of all colours: ash, auburn, black, brown, mahogany, even some blond. She'd never seen hair like that on anyone. Long and wavy, it was pulled back into a sexy ponytail. Better yet, his white T-shirt was pulled tight over a body that most women only saw in the best magazine ads. It was a body that was meant for sex. Tall and lean, that body begged a woman to caress it just to see if it was as hard and perfect as it appeared. His handsome features were sharp, chiselled, and he had a day's growth of beard on his face. It was the face of a rebel who didn't cater to current fashions one who lived his life solely on his own terms. It was obvious that no one told this man how to do anything. He was gorgeous.

 

Bride couldn't see his eyes for the dark sunglasses he wore, but she sensed his gaze. Felt it like a smouldering touch. This man was tough. Fierce. And it sent a wave of panic through her. Why would someone Like this be in a shop that specialized in women's accessories? Surely he wasn't going to rob her? What was it with her and strange men today? Harry had been almost as handsome but he was smaller and younger, maybe that was what made him less intimidating? She doubted this one wanted to make her cocoa.

 

"Can I help you?" she asked as she quickly put the mug down and stood, trying to look calm and collected. She smiled lamely at the devastatingly hot god who stood so nonchalantly in her store. "Sorry about that."

 

Vane closed his eyes as he savoured the melodic Southern lilt of her voice. It reached deep inside him, making his whole body burn for her. He was swollen with need and desire. Swollen with a feral urge to take what he wanted, damn all consequences. But she was scared of him. His animal half sensed it. And that was the last thing his human half wanted. Reaching up, he pulled the sunglasses off and offered her a small smile. "Hi." It didn't help. If anything, the sight of his eyes made her even more nervous. Damn.

 

Bride was stunned. She wouldn't have thought he could ever become better looking, but with that devilish grin, he did. Worse, the intense, feral look of that languid hazel-green gaze made her shivery and hot. Never in her life had she seen a man even one-tenth as good-looking as this one. "Hi," she said back, feeling like nine kinds of stupid.

 

His gaze finally left her and went around the store to her various displays. "I'm looking for a present," he said in that deeply hypnotic voice. She could have listened to him speak for hours, and for some reason she couldn't explain, she wanted to hear him say her name.

 

Bride cleared her throat and put those moronic thoughts away as she came out from behind her counter. If her cute ex couldn't stomach her looks, why would a god like this one give a rat's bottom about her? And two guys looking for gifts within twenty minutes of each other? That never happened to her. So she decided to calm down before she embarrassed herself with him. "Who is it for?"

 

"Someone very special."

 

"Your girlfriend?"

 

His gaze came back to hers and made her tremble even more. He shook his head slightly. "I could never be so lucky," he said, his tone low, beguiling. What an odd thing for him to say. She couldn't imagine this guy having trouble getting any woman he wanted. Who on earth would say no to that?

 

On second thought, she hoped she never met a woman that attractive. If she did, she would be morally obligated to run her over in her car. "How much are you wanting to spend?"

 

He shrugged. "Money doesn't mean anything to me."

 

Bride blinked at that. Gorgeous and loaded. Man, some woman out there was lucky. "Okay. We have some necklaces. Those are always a nice gift."

 

Vane followed her over to an alcove against the far wall where she had a mirror set up, with a multitude of beaded chokers and earrings that were on cardboard stands around it. The scent of her made him hard and hot. It was all he could do not to dip his head down to her shoulder and just inhale her scent until he was drunk with it. He focused his gaze on the bare, pale skin of her neck He licked his lips as he imagined what she would taste like. What it would feel like to have her lush curves pressed up against his body. To have her lips swollen from his kisses, her eyes dark and dreamy from passion as she looked up at him while he took her. Even worse, he could sense her own desire and it whetted his appetites even more.

 

"Which is your favourite?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer. There was a black Victorian choker that had her scent all over it. It was obvious she had tried it on recently.

 

"This one," she said, reaching for it.

 

He wanted nothing more than to run his hand down her extended arm, to skim his palm over her soft, pale skin until he reached her hand. A hand he would love to nibble. "Would you try it on for me?"

 

Bride trembled at the deep tone of his voice. What was it about him that made her so nervous? But then she knew. He was intensely masculine and being under his direct scrutiny was as excruciating as it was disconcerting. She tried to put the necklace on, but her hands shook so badly that she couldn't fasten it.

 

"May I help?" he asked.

 

She swallowed and nodded. His warm hands touched hers, making her even more jittery. She looked in the mirror, catching sight of those hazel-green eyes that stared at her with a heat that made her both shiver and burn. He was without a doubt the best-looking man to ever live and breathe and here he was touching her. It was enough to make her faint! He deftly fastened the necklace. His fingers lingered at her neck for a minute before he met her gaze in the mirror and stepped back.

 

"Beautiful," he murmured huskily, only he wasn't looking at the necklace. He was staring into the reflection of her eyes. "I'll take it."

 

Torn between relief and sadness, Bride looked away quickly as she reached to take it off. In truth, she loved this necklace and hated to see it go. She'd bought it for the store, but had wanted to keep it for herself. But why bother? It was a six-hundred-dollar handmade work of art. She didn't have anywhere to wear it. It would be a waste, and the pragmatic Irishwoman in her wouldn't allow her to be so foolish. Pulling it off, she swallowed the new lump in her throat and headed for the register.

 

Vane watched her intently. She was even sadder than before. Gods, how he wanted nothing more than to have her smile at him. What did a human male say to a human female to make her happy? She-wolves didn't really smile, not like humans did. Their smiles were more devious, seductive. Inviting. His people didn't smile when they were happy. They had sex when they were happy and that, to him, was the biggest benefit to being an animal rather than a human. Humans had rules about intimacy that he had never fully understood.

 

She placed the necklace in a large white box with a cotton pad in the bottom. "Would you like it gift-wrapped?" He nodded. Carefully, she removed the price tag, set it next to the register, then pulled out a small piece of paper that had been pre-cut to the size of the box. Without looking up at him, she quickly wrapped the box and rang up his sale. "Six hundred and twenty-three dollars and eighty-four cents, please." Still she didn't look at him. Instead her gaze was focused on the ground near his feet.

 

Vane felt a strange urge to dip down until his face was in her line of sight. He refrained as he pulled his wallet out and handed her his American Express card. It was laughable, really, that a wolf had a human credit card. But then, this was the twenty-first century and those who didn't blend quickly found themselves exterminated. Unlike many others of his kind, he had investments and property. Hell, he even had a personal banker. Bride took the card and ran it through her computer terminal. "You work here alone?" he asked, and quickly learned that was inappropriate since her fear returned with a scent so strong it almost made him curse out loud.

 

"No."

 

She was lying to him. He could smell it. Good going, jackass. Humans. He'd never understand them. But then, they were weak, especially their females. She handed him the receipt. Aggravated at himself for making her even more uncomfortable, he signed his name and handed it back to her.

 

She compared his signature to his card and frowned. "Katta"

 

"Kattalakis," he said. "It's Greek."

 

Her eyes lit up just a bit as she returned the card to him. "That's very different. You must have a hard time spelling it for people."

 

"Yeah."

 

She tucked the receipt into her drawer, then placed the wrapped box in a small bag with corded handles. "Thanks," she said quietly, setting it on the counter in front of him. "Have a nice day, Mr. Kattalakis." He nodded and headed for the door, his heart even heavier than before, because he had failed to make her happy. "Wait!" she said as he touched the knob. "You left your necklace."

 

Vane looked back at her one last time, knowing he would never see her again. She was so beautiful there with large, amber eyes set in the pale face of a goddess. There was something about her that reminded him of a Rubens angel. She was ethereal and lovely. And far too fragile for an animal. "No," he said quietly. "I left it with the woman I wanted to have it."

 

Bride felt her jaw go slack as his words hung in the air between them. "I can't take this." He opened the door and headed out into the street. Grabbing the bag from the counter, Bride ran after him. He was heading quickly down toward the centre of the Quarter and it took her some serious rushing to catch up to him. She took hold of his arm, amazed at the tautness of his biceps as she pulled him to a stop. Breathless, she looked up at him and those beguiling hazel-green eyes. "I can't take this," she said again, giving the bag to him. "It's way too much."

 

He refused to take it. "I want you to have it."

 

There was so much unfathomable sincerity in those words that she couldn't do anything more than gape at him. "Why?"

 

"Because beautiful women deserve beautiful things."

 

No one unrelated to her had ever said anything so kind. Today more than any other, she needed to hear it. She'd never thought any man would ever think of her that way. And to hear it from this gorgeous stranger meant the world to her. Those words reached so deep inside her that that She burst into tears.

 

Vane stood there feeling completely at a loss. What was this? Wolves didn't cry. A she-wolf might tear out a man's throat for pissing her off, but she never cried and especially not when someone had complimented her. "I'm sorry," he said, completely confused by what he'd done wrong. "I thought it would make you happy. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." She cried even more. What was he supposed to do now? He looked around him, but there was no one to ask. Screw the human in him. He didn't comprehend that part of himself, either. Instead, he listened to the animal part that only knew instinctively how to take care of someone when they were hurt. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her back toward her store.

 

Animals always did better in their native environment so it only stood to reason that a human might, as well. It was easier to cope with familiar things around. She latched on to his neck as he carried her and wept even harder. Her hot tears raised chills on his skin and he ached for her. How could he make this better?

 

Bride hated herself for breaking down like this. What the hell was wrong with her? Worse, he was carrying her! Carrying her! And he wasn't complaining that she was fat and heavy, or grunting from the strain of it. She'd jokingly asked Taylor to carry her over the threshold when they had moved in together and he had laughed, then asked her if she was trying to give him a hernia. Later that night, Taylor had agreed to do it only if she bought him a forklift for it. And yet here this total stranger carried her with ease down the street. For the first time in her life, she almost felt petite. But she wasn't that delusional. Bride McTierney hadn't been petite since she was six months old.

 

“Vane? Is everything okay?”

 

Bride tensed as she heard the voice of the man who had given her hot cocoa. More tears slipped free.

 

Harry moved to open the door to her shop, letting Vane carry her inside. He closed and locked the door, flipping the sign to closed. “Take her out back.” Harry whispered, moving to make tea in the kitchenette. It was a good thing he’d decided to come back and check on the woman, obviously something had happened and the poor wolf had looked very lost.

 

Vane found the small apartment behind the store and set her down in a chair. He untucked his white T-shirt and used the end of it to blot her eyes.

 

"Ow!" she said as he almost poked her right eye out. It was a good thing she didn't wear contacts or she'd be blind.

 

He looked contrite. "Sorry."

 

"No," she said, looking up at him through her tears. "I'm the one who needs to apologize. I didn't mean to have a nervous breakdown on you."

 

"Is that what this is?"

 

Was he serious? He definitely appeared so. She drew in a ragged breath and wiped her eyes with her hands. "No, this is me being stupid. I'm so sorry."

 

He offered her a small, seductive grin. "It's okay. Really. I think."

 

Bride stared at him in disbelief. Why was this man in her store being so kind to her? It didn't make sense. Was this a dream? Trying to regain some of her dignity, she pulled his credit slip from her pocket. "Here," she said, handing it to him.

 

"Why are you giving me this?" he asked, looking at the slip.

 

"Oh, come on. No one buys a necklace this expensive for a complete stranger."

 

Again he didn't take it. Instead, he reached inside the bag and took out the box. She watched as he unwrapped it, then placed the choker around her neck again. The contrast between his hot hands and the cool beads made her shiver. He laced his fingers through the tendrils of her hair while gazing at her like she was some delectable dessert that he was dying to taste.

 

No one had ever given her such a hot look before. It wasn't natural for a man this handsome to look at her like that.

 

"It belongs on you. No other woman could do it justice."

 

Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them back before he called the psycho ward on her. The heat of his hand against her neck was searing. "What? Did you lose a bet or something?"

 

"No."

 

"Then why are you being so nice to me?"

 

He cocked his head as if puzzled by her question. "Do I need a reason?"

 

"Yes."

 

Vane was completely baffled. Humans needed a reason to be nice to each other? No wonder his kind avoided them. "I don't know what to say," he admitted. "I didn't know there were rules for giving gifts or for trying to make someone feel better. You looked so sad as I walked by that I only wanted to make you smile." He took a deep breath and handed her the credit slip. "Keep the necklace, please. It looks good on you, and I have no one else to give it to. I'm sure my brother wouldn't want it. He'd probably shove it someplace real uncomfortable if I gave it to him. And if he didn't, that would scare me even more." Finally, she laughed. The sound lightened his heart instantly. "Is that a smile?" he asked.

 

She nodded and sniffed delicately before she laughed again. Returning her smile, Vane reached out and cupped her cool cheek. She was so beautiful when she laughed. Her dark amber eyes sparkled. Before he could stop himself, he leaned down and kissed the tears from her lashes.

 

Bride couldn't breathe as she felt the heat of his lips against her skin. No man had ever treated her like this. Not even Taylor, whom she had hoped to marry. She inhaled the warm scent of Vane's skin. It was tinged with some sort of aftershave and a rich, masculine scent. God, it felt so good to be held right now when her whole life was falling apart. Before she realized what she was doing, she had her arms wrapped around his lean waist and had laid her head against his strong chest. His heart pounded heavily under her ear. She felt strangely safe here. Warm. Most of all, she felt desirable. As if maybe she weren't a total loser, after all.

 

He didn't protest her hold. Instead, he held her there with his hand still on her face while his thumb gently stroked her cheekbone. He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on the top of her head. Heat flooded her. A deep-seated need tore through her body. It was one she didn't understand.

 

In all her life, Bride McTierney had never done anything other than what she was supposed to. She'd graduated high school and lived at home with her parents while she went to Tulane, where she had seldom dated and had spent more nights than not in the library. After graduation, she'd gotten a job as a manager at the mall until her grandmother had died and left her the building that now housed her shop. And here she had worked every day without fail. No matter how sick or tired she was. Bride had never taken a step on the wild side. Fear and responsibility had ruled her life from the moment of her birth.

 

Yet here she sat, holding a complete stranger in her arms. A gorgeous stranger who had been kinder to her than anyone else. And she wanted to taste him. To know just once what it was like to actually kiss a man who looked like this. Lifting her head, she looked up at him and trembled with a deep-seated desire she didn't comprehend. But she felt it all the way through her. ‘Don't’ She squelched the voice of reason, reached up and pulled the band from his hair. Freed, those long dark strands framed the face of heaven. The heat of his hazel-green eyes scorched her. He dipped his head down until his lips hovered dangerously close to hers, as if he were asking her permission. Breathless, she closed the distance and laid her lips against his. He growled deep in his throat like some animal before his kiss turned hungry, passionate. Bride was thrilled and amazed by his reaction. No man had ever seemed to enjoy kissing her as much as this one did. His strong hands cupped her head as he ravished her mouth as if he were starving for her and her alone.

 

Vane pulled her to him as the animal inside him roared to life. It wanted her with a desperation that bordered on madness. He could taste her own passion on his tongue. Hear her heart beating in rapid time to his. Most of all, he could smell her desire and he wanted more. The animal inside him wouldn't be satisfied until it tasted her fully. In his world, sex had no emotional meaning. It was a biological act between two creatures to ease a female's fertile time and a male's urges. If the two wolves weren't mates, then there was no chance of pregnancy, nor was there any form of sexually transmitted diseases between them. If Bride were one of his people, he'd already have her naked on the floor. But she wasn't a she-wolf. Human females were different. He'd never made love to one of them and he wasn't sure how she would react if he took her the way he would one of their females. Her kind was very frail in comparison. In all honesty, he didn't know why he was so hot for her now. It wasn't normal. Not once in all the centuries he had lived had he ever even contemplated taking a human lover. But this one. He couldn't stop himself. Every instinct he possessed demanded he take her. His wolf's soul wanted to taste her. It wanted to breathe her in and let her softness ease the loneliness that had filled his heart these past months while he grieved for his sister and brother. Just for one moment, he wanted to feel un-alone again.

 

Bride shivered as Vane left her lips and trailed his kisses to her throat where he nibbled the sensitive skin there. His whiskers gently scraped her skin, making her burn even more. Good grief, he was so innately masculine. So incredibly hot. And every lick he delivered to her skin made her stomach contract. This was so out of character for her. She didn't usually neck with men she knew like this. Never mind a perfect stranger. And yet she didn't want to push him away. Just once in her life, she wanted something out of the ordinary. Deep inside she knew Vane would be spectacular. Terrified of what she was about to do, she took a deep breath and braced herself for his rejection. "Would you make love to me?"

 

Instead of the laughter she expected, he pulled back from nibbling her throat to look at the open windows of her shop. "You don't mind?"

 

“And that’s my cue.” Harry put the mug down and grinned at them. “Have fun kids. I’ll come by tomorrow for that present Ma’am.” Bride blushed at his words but couldn’t help wanting him to leave them alone. Harry looked at Vane, eyes meeting and then he nodded, accepting that Vane needed this just as much as she did, that he wouldn’t hurt her. “Be gentle, she’s human.” He breathed, knowing the wolf would hear. Vane nodded and Harry left, making sure they’d have their privacy. He hoped they both got what they needed from the encounter. He headed home again, after all he had an essay due in a few days and he was going out with Ash that night to hunt.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry looked over at the bar and saw a man sitting there drinking. “Is that Vane’s brother?” Ash nodded so Harry got up. “Back in a sec.” He walked over to the bar. “Fang right?”

 

“Who wants to know…. wait, you were there with Acheron.”

 

“Yep. Just thought you should know Vane’s…occupied at the moment.”

 

“Occupied as in girl occupied?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Thanks.” Fang grinned and Harry went back to finish dinner with Ash before they headed out to hunt, Ash taking them to Paris since he needed to speak to one of the Hunters there.

 

“Vane is with a woman?” He asked as they walked the streets.

 

“I know something you don’t? Harry teased. “Yeah, shop owner. She was having a bad day, he was trying to cheer her up and making a mess of it. I left when she asked for sex and he agreed.”

 

“Catch her name?”

 

“No, shop was called Lilac and Lace Boutique.” His answer made Ash smile. “Okay what do you know?”

 

“Her name is Bride.”

 

“And…...?”

 

“She’s Vane’s mate.”

 

“Oh…good for them.” Harry smiled happily, that should cheer her up.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry walked towards Sanctuary where he was meeting up with Nick, he liked the New Orleans native and he’d been a good friend to Ash since meeting him. he knew the other male was wary of him and his place in Ash’s life and he didn’t blame him. as far as Nick could see he’d come out of nowhere, so he was going to explain a few things to him, see if they could become friends too. He lifted a hand to wave at Dev and then saw the bears eyes widen even as he sensed a presence. He spun but then gasped as his world went black.

 

Dev ran towards the two but swore as they vanished, Harry’s limp form in the redheads’ grasp. He turned and ran into the bar, spotting Nick. “Call Ash!” he growled and Nick blinked but pulled his phone out.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Harry’s been kidnapped.” He answered even as Ash appeared.

 

“Who?” Acheron snarled and Dev swallowed nervously.

 

“A red haired woman. He was out cold when they vanished, didn’t get a good look at here but she wasn’t a were-hunter or Dark-hunter, I could tell that much.”

 

“Red hair rules out Daimon.” Nick commented, watching Ash closely. He could see the rage his friend was trying to control. “Ash it’ll be okay, we’ll find him.” he offered before Ash vanished. “I’ll start calling around the Squires, put everyone on alert.” Nick finished as he called Kyrian before beginning to call around.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Julian?” Grace frowned at the look on her husband’s face.

 

“Harry’s been kidnapped and Acheron is on the warpath.” He answered and Grace gasped, she hadn’t met her husband’s student but she knew he was different. “Only description was redhead female.”

 

“That could be anyone.”

 

“I think I know who… I need to speak with Mother.”

 

 

“A goddess took him? Oh no.” She whispered. Julian kissed her cheek and then went upstairs to call his Mother and see if she knew or could find anything out.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“The time is coming.” Freyja walked to stand beside the other goddess as they watched the humans go about their lives.

 

“Whether he is ready to know or not, it must be done.” Hecate agreed.

 

“If she kills him it will cause chaos, who knows what will happen to us.” Isis agreed softly.

 

“She will have hidden him within her Temple, she thinks the room within contains all power and hides the occupants but I can get in.” Hecate told her fellow Goddesses.

 

“Then go quickly sister, before we all suffer from her jealousy.”

 

_TBC…_


	13. ch13

_Disclaimer: Not mine._

_As I’ve mentioned in others, Mum’s just started chemo so updates will be all over the place, some small and some large_

**Chapter 13**

“Julian? Why the urgency?” Aphrodite asked as she appeared before her son, taking in his agitation.

 

“A friend of Acheron’s was kidnapped in front of Sanctuary. The description given sounds very much like a Goddess.”

 

“You think Artemis did this?” the other Goddess had always been rather off about the Atlantean.

 

“Yes. Everything I’ve ever heard suggest she wouldn’t like Harry being in Ash’s life.”

 

“You want me to do something about this?”

 

“Please Mother, Harry is my student. He doesn’t deserve whatever she’s planning.”

 

“Alright, I’ll see what I can find.” She smiled and then returned to Olympus.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry groaned as he struggled to wake up and then blinked dazedly up at a very high ceiling. He forced himself to sit up, rubbing his aching head as he looked around, either he’d gone back in time again or… yeah, he didn’t want to consider the options for ‘or’ cause none of them were good. So what had happened? He frowned and stood, surveying his surroundings. No windows, one door that was obviously locked as well as a bed but…. Ash, he could feel Ash’s presence lingering in the room but he doubted this was his place which left one other place he spent a lot of time. He had the sinking feeling he wasn’t in Kansas anymore. He closed his eyes and focused his magic, speeding the healing of his headache even as he moved to see if he could unseal the door, though what he’d do if he got out he wasn’t sure.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Nick watched Ash pace while speaking on his phone, obviously highly agitated. Harry had been taken and Ash was mad, Nick would not want to be the idiot who had taken him. A red haired woman, well he had his own suspicions and he could tell Ash did too but they had to cover all possibilities. He felt bad about it, Harry had been coming to meet him after all. Maybe if he hadn’t he’d be safe at home.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Hecate slipped easily into the Temple and shook her head at the utter decadence. Then again Artemis only wanted two things; power and Acheron. Apollo was even worse, cursing his own flesh and blood the way he had. But now those poor people might have a chance at peace one day. Artemis’ ‘secure’ room was easy for her to do; Artemis was not as good as she thought she was. Inside she found who she was looking for and smiled.

 

“My Lord.” She bowed to him and Harry Potter just stared at her in confused surprise.

 

“What?” Okay who was this and why was she bowing?

 

“I am Hecate.” She answered, moving to sit regally on the edge of the bed, her knee length maiden’s skirt spreading over the sheets even as she crossed booted ankles.

 

Harry’s eyes widened. “The Goddess of Magic?”

 

“Within the Greek Pantheon yes, I have counterparts within the others.” She studied the young man, honestly he wasn’t what she had expected when she had realised Magic had taken human form, he wasn’t overly tall or imposing. Gods tended to be physical perfection and he was definitely not. But those eyes were a shade of green she had never seen before and they seemed to almost glow with magic.

 

“Don’t suppose you could tell me where I am?” he waved a hand at the rather bare room.

 

“You’ve already guessed, haven’t you?” One elegant eyebrow went up and he groaned.

 

“Olympus.” He sighed. “Artemis?” Hecate nodded. “Wonderful.”

 

“She is very possessive of young Acheron.” She pointed out even as she stood, smoothing down her skirt and then pushed some stray strands of light brown hair behind her ear.

 

“She doesn’t own him; you can’t own someone.”

 

“You have lived in times of slavery My Lord; you know others do not believe that.” Was he really still that naïve about the world?

 

“Okay, what’s with the ‘My Lord’ thing?” he wasn’t a Lord…. well not of anything that would matter to a goddess. He doubted being Lord Potter or Black would impress her.

 

“It was decided I would come to you now, if she had not interfered we would not have approached you until you realised more. But you need to be able to protect yourself from her.”

 

“How? I know I’m fairly powerful for a Wizard but she’s a goddess!”

 

“And you are Magic.”

 

Harry froze. “What?” he couldn’t have heard that right.

 

“You are not a Wizard Harry Potter. You are Magic itself, the very power we serve.”

 

“That’s impossible. Magic isn’t a person.”

 

“Since the beginning of existence Magic has existed, gifting some with the ability to use it. Until one day it took human form and was born to mortal parents in Godric’s Hollow.”

 

“I’d know if I was some powerful force.”

 

“You were stabbed through the heart, a wound no wizard, not even Merlin himself could have survived.”

 

“But….”

 

“Accept who and what you are My Lord or risk losing the one you love.” With that she faded away, leaving an utterly stunned Harry behind.

 

It wasn’t possible, was it? He sat on the floor, not wanting to sit on a bed where he was pretty sure Acheron had slept with her, or not slept as the case may be. How could Magic be a person, him? Everything he had ever learnt said it wasn’t possible, that it was just another type of energy. And if he was Hecate’s boss or something why hadn’t she let him out?

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Acheron appeared in the Temple, unwilling to wait any longer. He glanced around but nothing appeared out of place even as her women scattered, she may not stick to the whole ‘virgin goddess’ thing but they remained virginal and stayed away from men. Artemis herself was nowhere to be found as he searched for her, increasing his anger. Usually he kept his presence contained so that others would not realise he was there, she did not want anyone to know about them after all. But at that moment he didn’t care who sensed him as long as he got answers.

 

“Come for your pet?” Artemis called as she walked in from one of the balconies, head held high and red hair flowing behind her, contrasting with the pure white of her gown.

 

“What have you done to him?” he demanded angrily and she sneered.

 

“You are mine Acheron!” she snarled back and Acheron took a menacing step towards her.

 

“If you’ve hurt him…”

 

“You’ll what?” she called his bluff, she held all the cards. She had the souls of his people and they were tied together, he could no more kill her than she could him. Acheron snarled and she could see just how angry he was, thankfully he had fed recently or it would be worse.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry frowned and moved to touch the door, closing his eyes. Ash! Ash was nearby. He had to get his attention or something. He stepped back and took a deep breath before unleashing his magic at the door.

 

_TBC.._


	14. ch14

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

**Chapter 14**

****

_“Come for your pet?” Artemis called as she walked in from one of the balconies, head held high and red hair flowing behind her, contrasting with the pure white of her gown._

_“What have you done to him?” he demanded angrily and she sneered._

_“You are mine Acheron!” she snarled back and Acheron took a menacing step towards her._

_“If you’ve hurt him…”_

_“You’ll what?” she called his bluff, she held all the cards. She had the souls of his people and they were tied together, he could no more kill her than she could him. Acheron snarled and she could see just how angry he was, thankfully he had fed recently or it would be worse._

They both turned as the door to her secure room went flying. Ash was relieved when Harry walked out, unharmed and obviously mad.

 

“Sorry, hope you didn’t like that door.” Harry commented as he took in her look of shock.

 

“You…how?” Artemis was stunned, that wasn’t possible! Only she could use magic in that room, he was just a mortal.

 

“Harry.” Acheron didn’t even think before moving to his side, needing to make sure he really was unharmed. He cupped a smooth cheek and Harry leant into his touch, reaching up to remove Ash’s sunglasses.

 

“I’m alright.” Harry promised softly before leaning in and kissing him. Ash eagerly kissed him back, still getting used to being the taller of the two now. They broke apart when Artemis let out a shriek of outrage at the move. “Watch your head.” Harry murmured even as he reached out, feeling the godly magic that had built the temple, godly but still magic. He still wasn’t sure if he believed Hecate but the evidence was growing. He grasped that magic and blasted it apart.

 

Ash blinked in confusion and then stared in awe as the temple fell apart around them, quickly shielding them from the falling masonry. He looked at Harry and realised something had changed, he just wasn’t sure what. As the rubble settled around them he dropped the shield and looked over at where Artemis was looking around in horror. Seconds later the other gods began appearing to see what had happened.

 

“How dare you! I’ll kill you.” She snarled and attacked. Ash got ready to defend Harry but a shield went up and held Artemis back. Apollo went to defend his sister and there were gasps as suddenly where Apollo had stood was a rat. Harry stalked towards Artemis, green eyes glowing with power and she cowered back, not understanding how this mortal could be a threat.

 

Watching the spectacle Hecate couldn’t help laughing. It was about time the twins were taught a lesson and he was just the right being to do it.

 

“What is the meaning of this Hecate?” Zeus demanded since she seemed to know. She may be favoured and powerful but Artemis too was favoured.

 

“Your daughter has finally angered someone who can beat her. How can a god stand against Magic given form?” She smirked as Zeus paled, it wasn’t possible, was it?

 

Harry had Artemis pinned against the rubble as he reached out and placed his hand on her chest. He could feel the magic within her and he realised he could take it from her but…there was a link between her and Acheron that could not be broken. He glanced over at Ash who approached.

 

“Harry?”

 

“Is she dies, you die?”

 

“Yes.” He admitted softly.

 

“I can’t break it…. I can transfer it. Who would you be tied to?” he asked.  

 

Ash didn’t even have to think it over. “You.” He saw green eyes widen and then Harry nodded and pulled his hand back from her. There was a golden thread in his hand, the other end was in Acheron.

 

“You sure?”

 

“Positive.”

 

Harry nodded and settled the link inside himself, making them both gasp at the sensation as magic wrapped around the link, strengthening and deepening it.

 

Ash stared into glowing green eyes, suddenly able to feel Harry, feel his power, and it matched, maybe even surpassed, his own. What had happened to give him this so quickly? But he didn’t care, Harry had power over him before and yet had been the kindest master he’d ever had, he didn’t think Harry would change now with more power.

 

“You can’t do this!” Artemis shrieked even as the others looked on in confusion and fear.

 

Hecate laughed again. “You chose the wrong being to mess with this time Artemis. No one can save you from Magic given form.”

 

Magic given form? Ash was surprised but looking at Harry it made sense. “What are you going to do to her?” he asked softly.

 

“I should kill her for all she’s done.” Harry answered.

 

Katra watched from the shadows, torn. Her Mother was being attacked by a strange being that was not a god but that Hecate seemed overjoyed at seeing. But her Father was obviously involved, and with the one who was attacking her Mother. Should she move forward, plea for mercy for the woman that had given birth to her? She had been forbidden to approach her Father for her whole life but she no longer answered to Artemis, her services as kori had been fully traded to Apollymi.

 

“If you kill her the world ends. It is one of the very few reasons I have never tried to kill her or Apollo. They are the gods of moon and sun, without them the world will die.” Ash whispered to him and Harry frowned.

 

“What about the other sun and moon deities? Couldn’t they step in? Or make new gods to replace them?”

 

Ash nodded slowly. “Possible.”

 

“Well we’ll need to work that out later I guess. Right now…” Harry lashed out and Artemis screamed as her powers diminished. “All the power you stole from Ash is gone now. Oh, and that chastity vow? You might want to honour it goddess of the hunt and chastity.” Harry smirked even as he quietly drained Apollo down to match his twin.

 

“Harry, my men….”

 

Harry closed his eyes, focusing and then a trunk appeared with familiar red medallions that shimmered and turned from red to yellow to orange. Colours that seemed to lick the centre carving that looked like a swirling wind. Dark Hunter souls trapped within medallions. “You’ll never have to bargain for their souls again and she can’t create more. Only we can.” Harry assured him and then looked at the assembled gods before focusing on Hecate. “Thank you.” To the shock of all she curtsied to him with a smile.

 

“It was my honour to be the one to tell you My Lord.”

 

Harry reached for Ash’s hand and the Dark Hunter took it. They, and the trunk vanished from Mount Olympus to reappear in Harry’s house where he collapsed on the bed. “Harry?” Ash ran a hand over him and Harry captured it, twining their fingers together.

 

“I’m okay.”

 

“What happened back there? What happened to you?”

 

“I had a visit from Hecate while in that room. She said I’m not a Wizard.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yep, apparently I’m literally Magic.”

 

Ash just stared in surprise and Harry couldn’t help a half hysterical laugh.

 

_TBC…._

 


	15. CH15

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

**Chapter 17**

Hearing his laughter Ash pulled Harry close, offering silent comfort for the obviously shocked younger man. “What do you mean magic?”

 

“Hecate said that I am magic. That magic has always existed, gifting some with the ability to use it. Then in 1980 magic took form and was born as one Harry James Potter.” He answered softly, grasping Ash’s hand tightly.

 

Harry was magic…. the gods had magic…so Harry was beyond even the gods. He was safe from Artemis, he’d defeated her. Was he like Ash, a Chthonian? It was a lot to take in. He had never consciously been aware of the link tying him to her but with Harry it was right there, humming away in the back of his mind.

 

“Ash?” Harry called, unnerved by his silence.

 

“Can you die?”

 

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Hecate didn’t tell me much, she might not have known. And…I still only half believe what she said, even with the evidence. Can magic die? I don’t think so. But would I still be me or whatever I was before?”

 

“Well we’ll just have to keep you alive.” Ash answered, it felt odd being the one to comfort Harry but he obviously needed it. He knew how shocked he had been to find out he was a god and the Final Fate, this had to be just as much of a shock for Harry. He’d had no one to truly help him except Simi, he would be here for Harry. “I can’t believe you turned Apollo into a rat.” He chuckled.

 

“He deserved it.” He stretched and groaned. “I think I’m skipping class tomorrow.”

 

“Good idea.”

 

“Will you stay?”

 

“Yes.” Acheron agreed and they got comfortable in bed.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Mother?” Julian looked over as his mother appeared.

 

“You really pick the most interesting friends Julian.”

 

“Harry?”

 

“Is fine. Artemis however will be needing a new Temple.” She smirked slightly, she’d never been overly fond of the twins.

 

“What?” Julian frowned, how were the two connected. “Acheron?”

 

“No. According to Hecate your student is magic given form. Apollo is now a rat and Artemis stripped of much of her power.”

 

Julian just stared at her in stunned disbelief.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ash opened the trunk and stared at the collection of medallions within. The souls of his men (and women) didn’t look like much but they were beyond precious to him. Never again would he have to pay for one of them to go free. He felt Harry move across the room to stand with him.

 

“What will you do with them?”

 

“Hold them until they ask for them. I cannot return their souls to their bodies, only their love can.”

 

“Like Sunshine and Talon.” Harry said and Ash nodded. “Would you do it if you could?”

 

“Yes.” He answered immediately. He had managed against the Daimons before Dark Hunters were created, he could manage alone again. He watched as Harry dug through the chest and then he removed a medallion that was slightly different to the others. Acheron remembered the question Artemis had asked him when Ias had died, ‘tell me Acheron, is there anyone you will ever trust enough to release your soul?’  he had told her no, that she had taught him that lesson well and yet now…

 

“This is your soul Ash.” Harry gently cradled the medallion without being burnt. He held the silver gaze gently. “Do you want it back?”

 

Acheron swallowed, unable to speak as he reached out, hand hovering over the medallion. To release his soul, he would have to die again but he would still be immortal as a god and will all of his powers. Nothing much would change, would it? “To return a soul you have to,”

 

“Love them.” Harry finished for him before kissing him. “However long I live in any form I will love you.” He whispered.

 

_“Trust him Apostolos.”_

Acheron was shocked to hear his Mother’s call and urging him to trust another with his life and soul. She had remained oddly quiet ever since Harry had returned to him.

 

_“He will not betray you my son.”_

_“Did you send him back to me?”_ Ash asked mentally and she laughed.

_“No, but his decision to move to New Orleans?”_ and with that she was gone.

“Acheron?” Harry called and Ash blinked.

 

“it could burn you.” He warned and Harry shrugged.

 

“I heal and even if it doesn’t a burn would be worth it if this is what you want.”

 

His words had Ash pulling him close to kiss again. “Tonight.” He answered. He nuzzled Harry’s neck and felt his incisors lengthen. Harry tipped his head, inviting and Ash clutched at him.

 

“Bed?” Harry murmured and Acheron froze. “Ash?”

 

“Do you know what you’re offering?”

 

“I know you need it Ash, from me now instead of Artemis.”

 

“It’s invasive and uncomfortable.” He warned and Harry took his hand, tugging him to the bedroom.

 

“So, find a way to distract both of us.” He offered before pulling his shirt off. He then kicked his pants off and lay on the bed, piling the pillows up. He lay there, totally vulnerable and Ash felt his hunger stir. It was feed now or risk losing control so he joined Harry, banishing his own clothes to keep things equal. They had shared a bed since meeting again but never fully naked. Harry pulled him in close, kissing him, hands skimming over his sides and Ash found himself relaxing at the familiar move. This time when Harry bared his throat he sank his fangs in and drank, feeling Harry’s hands stroking his body the whole time. He went to pull away but felt a surge of magic and then Harry was urging him closer, giving his body to him and Ash froze for a second, reason asserting itself but Harry kept kissing and touching him, driving him crazy until he did as Harry was wanting. After they lay together on the bed, breathing hard.

 

“Did I hurt you?”

 

“No, felt incredible.” Harry leant up on an elbow and smiled at him, the bite already almost fully healed. He gently brushed Ash’s hair back from his face and Acheron was amazed that he didn’t feel the need to flinch back. After so long he had thought he’d never be able to allow someone to touch his hair, neck or back and yet with Harry it felt natural. Like he was healing all of the old hurts. “Round two?” he offered with an impish grin and Ash laughed but lay on his back, letting Harry settle over him.

 

By the time the sun set they were worn out and Ash grabbed his phone, putting a message out that he was unable to answer. Harry tugged him into the bathroom to shower together and when they emerged the bed had been remade with fresh sheets. Ash lay down in the middle, reclining against the pillow pile. Harry put the medallion down beside him on the bed. “How?” in answer an Atlantean dagger appeared.

 

“You will have to use magic Harry, I am partially immune to even these blades.” He was fighting the urge to get up and say forget it.

 

“Okay.” He kissed him again and then picked up the dagger and placed it gently against the skin over his heart. He took a deep breath and pressed down, letting his magic flow, and Ash gasped in pain as the dagger sliced through his skin and into his heart. His hands gripped the sheets even as he gasped for air and Harry realised the problem, Ash couldn’t die with him alive. “it’s alright Ash, I’m here.” He gently clamped down on the link between them, cutting Ash off from his life-force, his magic and kept eye contact as Acheron’s life drained away. “I’ve got you, almost over.” He soothed, one hand gently running through suddenly blonde hair. Silver eyes slid shut as his body went limp and Harry removed the dagger before picked up the medallion and pressed it against the bow and arrow mark, closing his eyes and willing Ash’s soul back into his body. They remained like that for what felt like an eternity even as Harry bit his lip against the burning pain but slowly the medallion cooled and he released it, moving to gently cup Ash’s face in his hands. “Come on, wake up.” He released his hold on the link, flooding it with his magic and Acheron gasped, eyes flying open as the wound healed and Harry let out a relieved laugh. “Welcome back.”

 

Acheron lay on the bed, panting even as he stared up at Harry. He had done it. Harry had literally held his soul in his hands and he hadn’t betrayed him. He was free now, though still linked to Harry and Styxx. But he could live with that. He had heard Harry trying to comfort him as he died and it made his heart soar. Of course, that was when his phone rang making him groan and Harry chuckle.

 

“No rest for the wicked.”

 

_TBC…_


	16. ch16

_Disclaimer: Still not mine_

**Chapter 16**

"Hub-ba!" Brenda said, her eyes wide as she looked toward the entrance. "I think I just found our cookies! And ladies, there are three of them."

 

Laughing at her awed tone, Cassandra turned around to see three incredibly sexy men entering the club. They were all well over six feet in height, golden in skin and hair, and drop-dead gorgeous. Her laughter died instantly as she felt a horrible, stinging tingle run through her. It was a sensation she was all too familiar with. And it was one that branded terror into her heart. Dressed in expensive sweaters, jeans, and ski jackets, the three men scanned the bar's occupants like the deadly predators they were. Cassandra trembled. The people in the bar had no idea how much danger they were in. None of them. Oh, dear God...

 

"Hey, Cass," Brenda said. "Go introduce me to them."

 

Cassandra shook her head as she made eye contact with Kat to warn her. She tried to herd Brenda away from the men and out of their dark, hungry sight. "They're bad news, Bren. Really bad news." The one virtue of being half Apollite was her ability to spot others of her mother's kind. And something in her gut told her the men walking through the crowd, scanning women with seductive smiles, were no longer simple Apollites. They were Daimons-a vicious breed of Apollite who chose to prolong their short lives by killing humans and stealing their souls. Their unique, powerful Daimon charisma and their hunger for souls bled from every pore of their bodies. They were here for victims. Cassandra swallowed her panic. She had to find some way to get out of here before they got too close to her and discovered who she really was. She reached for the small handgun in her purse, and looked for an escape.

 

"Out the back," Kat said, pulling her toward the rear of the club.

 

"What's going on?" Brenda asked.

 

Suddenly, the tallest of the Daimons stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to face them. His steely eyes narrowed on Cassandra with intense interest and she could feel him trying to penetrate her mind. She blocked his intrusion, but it was too late. He grabbed his friends' arms and inclined his head toward them. Damn. This sucked. Literally.

 

With the bar's crowd, she couldn't open fire on them and neither could Kat. The hand grenades were in the car and she had opted to leave her daggers under the seat. "Now would be a good time to tell me you have your sais with you, Kat."

 

"Nada. You got your Kamas on you?"

 

"Yeah," she said sarcastically, thinking of her weapons that looked like small handheld scythes. "I tucked them into my bra before I left home." She felt Kat force something cold into her hand. Looking down, she saw the closed uchiwa fighting fan. Made of steel, the fan was sharpened on one side so that it was as dangerous as a Ginsu knife. Folded up and only eleven inches long, it looked like an innocuous Japanese folding fan, but in the hands of either Kat or Cassandra, it was lethal.

 

Cassandra tightened her grip on the fan as Kat pulled her toward the stage where there was a fire exit. She drifted back into the crowd near the exit, away from the Daimons, and away from Brenda before she endangered her by being close to her when the Daimons struck. She cursed both their heights as she realized there was no way to hide. No way to keep the Daimons from seeing them even in this heavy crowd when she and Kat stood so tall against everyone else.

 

Kat stopped dead in her tracks as another tall, blond man cut off their escape. Two seconds later, all hell broke loose on their side of the club as they both became aware that there were more than just three Daimons in the bar. There was at least a dozen of them. Kat shoved Cassandra toward the exit, then kicked the Daimon back, into a group of people who shouted and shrieked at the disturbance.

 

Cassandra opened her fan as another Daimon came for her with a hunting knife. She caught the blade between the slats and twisted it from his hands, then used the knife to stab the Daimon in the chest. He disintegrated instantly.

 

"You'll pay for that, bitch," one of the Daimons growled as he charged her. Several men in the bar moved to help her, but the Daimons made quick work of them while other patrons headed for the exits.

 

Four Daimons surrounded Kat. Cassandra tried to get to her to help fight them off, but couldn't. One of the Daimons caught her bodyguard with a vicious blow that sent Kat flying into a nearby wall. Kat hit it with a thud, then landed on the floor in a heap. Cassandra wanted to help her, but the best way to do that would be to get the Daimons out of the bar and away from her friend. She turned to run, only to find two more Daimons standing directly behind her. The collision of their bodies distracted her enough so that one of the Daimons could wrench the fan and knife from her hand. He put his arms around her to keep her from falling. Tall, blond, and handsome, the Daimon held a rare sexual aura that pulled anything female toward him. It was that essence that enabled them to prey effectively on humans.

 

"Going someplace, princess?" he asked, taking her wrists in his hands and blocking her ability to fight for her weapon.

 

Cassandra tried to speak, but his deep, dark eyes held her completely captive. She felt his powers reaching into her mind, numbing her ability to flee. The others joined him. Still, the one before her kept his hands on her wrists, his mesmerizing gaze on hers.

 

"Well, well," the tallest said as he dragged a cold finger down her cheek. "When I came out to feed tonight, the last thing I expected to find was our missing heiress."

 

She snapped her head away from his touch. "Killing me won't free you," she said. "It's only a myth." The one holding her turned her around to face his leader.

 

The Daimon leader laughed. "Aren't we all? Ask any human in this bar if vampires exist and what will they say?" He ran his tongue over his long canine teeth as he eyed her evilly. "Now, come outside and die alone, or we'll feast off your friends." He slid his predator's gaze over to Michelle, who was far enough away and so captivated by Tom that she wasn't even aware of the fight that had gone on over on Cassandra's side of the large, crowded bar. "The brunette is strong. Her soul alone should sustain us for at least six months. As for the blonde..." His gaze drifted over to where Kat lay surrounded by humans who didn't appear aware of how she'd gotten hurt. No doubt the Daimons were using their powers to fog the minds of the humans around them to keep them from interfering. "Well," he continued ominously, "a little snack never hurt anyone."

 

He grabbed her arm at the same time the Daimon holding her let go. Unwilling to go quietly to her slaughter, Cassandra reverted to her strict and intensive training. She stepped back into the arms of the Daimon behind her and brought her heel down on his instep. He cursed. She buried her fist into the stomach of the Daimon before her, then darted between the other two and headed for the door. With his inhuman speed, the tallest Daimon cut her off halfway there. A cruel smile curved his lips as he pulled her viciously to a stop. She kicked out, but he prevented her from hurting him.

 

"Don't." His deep voice was mesmerizing and filled with the promise of lethal harm should she disobey him. Several people in the bar turned to look at them, but one vicious glare from the Daimon and they headed off. No one would help her. None dared.

 

But it wasn't over yet... She would never surrender to them. Before she could attack again, the front door of the club swung open with an arctic blast. As if he sensed something even more evil than himself, the Daimon turned his head toward the door. His eyes widened in panic.

 

Cassandra turned to see what held him transfixed and then she, too, couldn't tear her gaze away. The wind and snow swirled into the entranceway around a man who stood at least six feet six. Unlike most people who walked around in ten-degree weather, the newcomer wore only a long, thin black leather coat that rippled with the wind. He had on a solid black sweater, biker boots, and a pair of tight black leather pants that hugged a lean, hard body that beckoned with wild, sexual promise. He had the confident, deadly swagger of a man who knew he had no equal. Of a man who dared the world to try and take him on. It was the gait of a predator. And it made her blood run cold. Had his hair been blond, she would have presumed him another Daimon. But this man was something else entirely. His shoulder-length jet-black hair was blown back from a perfectly sculpted face that caused her heart to pound. His black eyes were cold. Steely. His face was set and impassive. Neither pretty, nor feminine, the man was such a Powdered Donut, he wouldn't even have to share it in her bed! Drawn like a homing beacon, and oblivious to the crowd in the bar, the newcomer swept his dark, deadly gaze from one Daimon to the next, until it settled on the one by her side. A slow, evil smile spread over his handsome face, displaying the tiniest hint of fangs. He headed straight for them.

 

The Daimon cursed, then pulled her in front of him. Cassandra fought his hold, until he took a gun out of his pocket and held it to her temple. Screams and shouts erupted in the bar as people ran for cover. The other Daimons moved to stand by his side into what appeared to be a battle formation. The newcomer gave a low, sinister laugh as he sized them up. The light in his jet eyes told her how much he looked forward to the fight. His gaze actually goaded them.

 

"Bad form to take a hostage," he said in a deep, smoothly accented voice that rumbled like thunder. "Especially when you know I'm going to kill you anyway."

 

In that instant, Cassandra knew who and what the newcomer was. He was a Dark-Hunter-an immortal warrior who spent eternity hunting down and executing the Daimons who fed off human souls. They were the defenders of mankind and the personification of Satan for her people. She'd heard of them all her life, but much like the bogeyman, she'd attributed them to urban legends. But the man before her wasn't a figment of her imagination. He was real, and he looked every bit as deadly as the stories she'd heard.

 

"Out of my way, Dark-Hunter," the Daimon holding her said, "or I'll kill her."

 

Appearing amused by the threat, the Dark-Hunter shook his head like a parent scolding an angry child. "You know, you should have stayed in your bolt-hole one more day. Tonight's Buffy night, and it's a whole new episode, too." The Dark-Hunter paused to sigh irritably. "Have you any idea how angry it makes me that I have to come out here in the freezing cold to slay you when I could be at home all toasty warm, watching Sarah Michelle Gellar kick ass in a halter top?"

 

The Daimons arms shook as he tightened his grip on Cassandra. "Get him!"

 

The Daimons attacked at once. The Dark-Hunter caught the first one by the throat. In one fluid motion, he picked the Daimon up and slammed him against the wall where he held him in a tight fist. The Daimon whimpered.

 

"What are you, a baby?" the Dark-Hunter asked. "Jeez, if you're going to kill humans, the least you could do is learn to die with some dignity."

 

A second Daimon dove for his back. As the Dark-Hunter twisted his lower body, a long, evil-looking knife shot out of the toe of his boot. He buried the blade in the centre of the Daimons chest. Instantly, the Daimon exploded into powder. The Daimon in the Dark-Hunter's grip flashed his long canine teeth as he tried to bite and kick him. The Dark-Hunter tossed him into the arms of the third Daimon. They stumbled back and landed in a heap on the floor. The Dark-Hunter shook his head at the two Daimons as they stumbled over each other, trying to regain their feet. More attacked and he cut through them with an ease that was as scary as it was morbidly beautiful.

 

"Come on, where did you learn to fight?" he asked as he killed two more. "Miss Manners' School for Girls?" He sneered contemptuously at the Daimons. "My baby sister could hit harder than you when she was three years old. Damn, if you're going to turn Daimon, the least you could do is take a few fighting lessons so you can make my boring job more interesting." He sighed wearily and looked up at the ceiling. "Where are the Spathi Daimons when you need them?"

 

While the Dark-Hunter was distracted, the Daimon holding her moved the gun from her temple and fired four shots into him. The Dark-Hunter turned very slowly toward them.

 

Fury descending over his face, he glared at the Daimon who had shot him. "Have you no honour? No decency? No damn brains? You don't kill me with bullets. You just piss me off." He looked down at the bleeding wounds in his side, then pulled his coat out so that light shone through the holes in the leather. He cursed again. "And you just ruined my friggin' favourite coat." The Dark-Hunter growled at the Daimon. "For that, you die."

 

Before Cassandra could move, the Dark-Hunter whipped his hand toward them. A thin black cord shot out and wrapped itself around the Daimons wrist. Faster than she could blink, the Dark-Hunter closed the distance between them, jerked the Daimons wrist, and wrung his forearm.

 

She stumbled away from the Daimon and pressed herself against the broken jukebox, out of their way. With one hand, still on the Daimons arm, the Dark-Hunter grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off his feet. In a graceful arc, he slung the Daimon onto a table. Glasses shattered under the weight of the Daimons back. The gun hit the wooden floor with a cold, metallic thud.

 

"Didn't your mother ever tell you the only way to kill us is to cut us into pieces?" the Dark-Hunter asked. "You should have brought a wood chipper instead of a gun." He glared at the Daimon, who fought desperately against his hold. "Now, let's see about freeing the human souls you've stolen." The Dark-Hunter pulled a butterfly knife from his boot, twirled it open, and plunged it into the Daimons chest. The Daimon decayed instantly, leaving nothing behind. The last two ran for the door. They didn't get far before the Dark-Hunter pulled a set of throwing knives out from under his coat and sent them flying with deadly precision into the backs of the fleeing killers. The Daimons exploded, and his knives hit the floor ominously.

 

With an unbelievably deliberate calmness, the Dark-Hunter headed for the exit. He paused only long enough to retrieve his knives from the floor. Then he left as quickly and silently as he'd come.

 

Cassandra struggled to breathe as the people in the bar came out of hiding and went berserk. Thankfully, even Kat pushed herself up and stumbled toward her. Her friends came running up to her.

 

"Are you okay?"

 

"Did you see what he did?"

 

"I thought you were dead!"

 

"Thank God, you're still alive!"

 

"What did they want with you?"

 

"Who were those guys?"

 

"What happened to them?"

 

She barely heard the voices that hit her ears so fast and blended that she couldn't tell who asked what question. Cassandra's mind was still on the Dark-Hunter who'd come to her rescue. Why had he bothered to save her? She had to know more about him... Before she could think better of it, Cassandra ran after him, looking for a man who shouldn't be real. Outside, blaring sirens filled the air and were getting progressively louder. Someone in the bar must have called the police. The Dark-Hunter was halfway down the block before she caught up to him and pulled him to a stop.

 

His face impassive, he looked down at her with those deep, dark eyes. Eyes so black that she couldn't detect the pupils. The wind whipped his hair around his chiselled features and the cloud from his breath mingled with hers. It was freezing out, but his presence warmed her so much that she didn't even feel it.

 

"What are you going to do about the police?" she asked. "They'll be looking for you."

 

A bitter smile tugged at the edges of his lips. "In five minutes, no human in that bar will ever remember they saw me."

 

His words surprised her. Was that true of all Dark-Hunters? "Will I forget too?" He nodded. "In that case, thank you for saving my life."

 

Wulf paused. It was the first time anyone had ever thanked him for being a Dark-Hunter. He stared at the wealth of tight, strawberry-blond curls that cascaded without order around her oval face. She wore her long hair plaited down her back. And her hazel-green eyes were filled with a brilliant vitality and warmth. Though she wasn't a great beauty, her features had a quiet charm that was inviting, tempting. Against his will, he reached his hand up to touch her jaw, just below her ear. Softer than velvet, her delicate skin warmed his cold fingers. It had been so long since he last touched a woman. So long since he had last tasted one. Before he could stop himself, he leaned down and captured those parted lips with his own. Wulf growled at the taste of her as his body roared to life. He'd never sampled anything sweeter than the honey of her mouth. Never smelled anything more intoxicating than her clean, rose-scented flesh.

 

Her tongue danced with his as her hands clutched at his shoulders, pressing him closer to her. He became hard and stiff with the thought of how soft her body would be in other places. And in that moment, he wanted her with an urgency that stunned him. It was a desperate need he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

 

Cassandra's senses swirled at the unexpected contact of his lips on hers. She'd never known anything like the power and hunger of his kiss. The faint smell of sandalwood clung to his flesh and he tasted of beer and wild, untamed masculinity. Barbarian. It was the only word to describe him. His arms flexed around her as he plundered her mouth masterfully. He wasn't just deadly to Daimons. He was deadly to a woman's senses. Her heart hammered as her entire body burned, wanting a mad taste of his strength inside her. She kissed him desperately.

 

He cupped her face in his hands while he nibbled her lips with his teeth. His fangs. Suddenly, he deepened his kiss as he ran his hands over her back, pressing her closer to those lean, masculine hips so that she could feel just how hard and ready he was for her. She felt him all the way down her entire being. Every hormone in her body sizzled. She wanted him with a ferocity that terrified her. Not once in her life had she known such hot, wrenching desire, especially not for a stranger. She should be pushing him away.

 

Instead, she wrapped her arms around his broad, rock-hard shoulders and held him tight. It was all she could do not to reach down, unzip those pants, and guide him straight into the part of her that throbbed with demanding need. Part of her didn't even care that they were on the street. It wanted him right here. Right now. No matter who or what saw them. It was an alien part of herself that scared her.

 

Wulf fought the urgency inside him that demanded he pin her to the brick wall beside them and have her wrap those long, shapely legs of hers around his waist. To push her sinfully short skirt up over her hips and bury himself deep inside her body until she screamed out his name in sweet release. Dear gods, how he ached to possess her. If only he could...

 

Reluctantly, he pulled back from her embrace. He ran his thumb over her swollen lips and wondered what she would feel like writhing beneath him. Worse, he knew he could have her. He had tasted her desire fully. But once he was finished with her, she would have no memory of him. No memory of his touch. His kiss. His name... Her body would only soothe his for a few minutes. It would do nothing to ease the loneliness in his heart that yearned for someone to remember him. "Good-bye, my sweet," he whispered, touching her lightly on the cheek before he turned around. He would remember their kiss forever. She wouldn't recall him at all...

 

Cassandra couldn't move as the Dark-Hunter walked away from her. By the time he had vanished into the night, she had completely forgotten he'd ever existed. "How did I get out here?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around her to banish the biting cold. Her teeth chattering, she ran back into the bar.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

“No rest for the wicked.” Harry grinned as Ash’s phone rang and the older man moved to answer it.

 

Ash still felt a little off, but he had just died so he figured that was to be expected. His memories of his first revival were a little hazy, other than Artemis’ presence and the blood. “What happened?” He asked, knowing it was Wulf. Had something gone wrong now that Artemis was far more limited in how she could interfere? He had honestly completely forgotten about the Viking and Apollo’s last living descendant, had Wulf failed in protecting her? Or protected her too well and chased off whichever suitor had been chosen for her?

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Wulf entered his room and closed the door. He needed a little time alone to digest everything he'd been told. He was going to be a father. The child would remember him. But what if the child was more Apollite than Cassandra? Genetics was a weird science and he had lived long enough to see just how bizarre it could be. Look at Chris. No one had looked so much like Erik since Erik's son had died more than twelve hundred years before. Yet Christopher was the very image of Wulf's brother. Chris even possessed Erik's temperament and bearing. They could be the same man.

 

And what if his child turned Daimon one day? Could he hunt and kill his own son or daughter? The thought made him cold inside. It terrified him. Wulf didn't know what to do. He needed advice. Someone who could help him sort through this. Picking up his phone, he called Talon. No one answered. Cursing, he only knew of one other person who might help. Acheron.

 

The Atlantean answered on the first ring. "What happened?"

 

He scoffed at Ash's cynicism. "No 'hi, Wulf, how's it going'?"

 

"I know you, Viking. You only call whenever there's a problem. So, what's up? You have trouble hooking up with Cassandra?" Please say no. what was the point in getting his freedom and soul if the world was doomed?

 

"I'm going to be a father."

 

Total silence answered him. It was nice to know the news stunned Ash as much as it had stunned him. Ash shook his head at Harry’s worried look. He hadn’t seen this coming "Well, I guess the answer to my question is a big no, huh?" Ash asked finally. He paused again before asking. "Are you okay?"

 

"So, you're not surprised at the fact that I made a woman pregnant?"

 

"No. I knew you could." Ash admitted softly.

 

Wulf's jaw went slack as rage gripped him tightly. Ash had known all this time? "You know, that information could have been vital to me, Ash. Damn you for not telling me this before now."

 

"What would it have changed had I told you? You would have spent the last twelve centuries paranoid of ever touching a woman for fear of making her pregnant and then her not remembering you as the father. You've had enough on you as it is. I didn't see the point in adding that too."

 

Wulf was still angry. "What if I made someone else pregnant?"

 

"You haven't."

 

"How do you know?"

 

"Believe me, I do. Had you ever made anyone pregnant, I would have told you. I'm not so big an ass as to withhold something that important." He rubbed the skin over his heart, it still ached slightly and he could feel Simi’s concern, seeing her tattoo had moved to cover his heart protectively. The bed dipped as Harry moved to his side, giving him a comforting shoulder to lean on.

 

Yeah, right. If Ash would withhold this, then there was no telling what other vital things the Atlantean had failed to mention. "And I'm supposed to trust you now after you've just admitted lying to me?"

 

"You know, I think you've been talking to Talon too much. Suddenly you two sound like the same person. Yes, Wulf, you can trust me. And I never lied to you. I just omitted a few facts." He admitted, it had been for the best to keep those secrets but he never liked doing it.  Wulf didn't say anything in response. But he would love to have Ash in front of him long enough to beat the hell out of him for this. "So, how's Cassandra dealing with her pregnancy?" Ash asked.

 

Wulf went cold. There were times when Ash was truly spooky. "How did you know Cassandra was the mother?"

 

"I know lots of things when I apply myself."

 

"Then perhaps you should learn to share some of these details, especially when they involve other people's lives."

 

Ash sighed. "If it makes you feel better, I'm not happy with the way all this went down any more than you are. But sometimes things have to go wrong in order to go right."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"You'll see one day, little brother. I promise."

 

Wulf ground his teeth. "I really hate it when you play Oracle."

 

"I know. All of you do. But what can I say? It's my job to annoy you." Ash grinned as Harry choked on a chuckle.

 

"I think you should find a new occupation."

 

"Why? I happen to enjoy the one I have." But something in Ash's voice told Wulf the Atlantean was lying about that too.

 

So, Wulf decided on a change of venue. "Since you don't want to give me anything helpful, let me change the subject for a minute. Do you happen to know one of Artemis's handmaidens named Katra? She's here and she claims to be on our side. She says she's been protecting Cassandra for five years, but I'm not sure if I should trust her or not."

 

"I don't know the handmaidens by name, but I can find out." He glanced at Harry who nodded and then closed his eyes in concentration before vanishing. He didn’t like the idea of Harry going to Olympus, especially alone, but until Ash felt totally back to normal it was safer for Harry to do it.

 

For some bizarre reason that actually made him feel better. Ash wasn't completely omniscient after all. "Okay. Just let me know immediately if she's not friendly."

 

"I will definitely do that."

 

Wulf moved to hang up.

 

"By the way," Ash said as soon as he pulled the phone away.

 

Wulf replaced it to his ear. "What?"

 

"Congrats on the baby."

 

Wulf snorted at that. "Thanks. Maybe."

 

Ash put the phone down and sighed. “Simi.” He called her off his body and smiled at her.

 

“Akri I couldn’t feel you and I was scared and…” she cocked her head to the side and squinted. “Something’s different Akri, did the heifer goddess do something mean? Can I eat her?”

 

“No Simi, she didn’t do anything to me.” He leant back and she curled into his side. “And I am sorry I scared you but I have my soul now.”

 

She sat up with wide eyes. “How?”

 

“Remember I told you about my nice master in Atlantis?”

 

“Ohhh, the nice one with green eyes?”

 

“Yes, well he’s here Simi and he gave me my soul back. We will never see Artemis again.” He laughed as she cheered and danced around and then Harry reappeared.

 

“Ash?” Harry looked at the young woman who was most definitely not human.

 

“Harry this is Simi. Simi this is Harry, the nice master.”

 

“Ohhh….” She moved in close. “You really do have pretty eyes.

 

“Thank you, Simi, I like your horns.” He glanced at Ash.

 

“Simi was a gift from my Mother, shortly after I became a Dark Hunter. Simi return to me.” He called as she reappeared as a tattoo.

 

“Well that explains the ever-changing tattoo.” He flopped on the bed beside Ash and clasped hands with him. “How do you feel?”

 

“Good now you’re back. Did you find what we needed?”

 

“Artemis had a handmaiden named Katra but she traded her services a while ago.”

 

“To who?” he ran the fingers of his free hand through Harry’s always messy hair. 

 

“Apollymi.”

 

“Matera.” Ash whispered.

 

“So, unless you Mother is trying something I’d say she can probably be trusted.”

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cassandra stood in the bedroom, dressed in her wedding gown and waiting. Her long, strawberry-blond hair was left down around her shoulders as was the custom of Wulf's people. She wore a silver crown intertwined with fresh flowers-another Nordic custom. Chris had told her that the crown had been passed down from Wulf's sister-in-law through all the generations of his family. It meant a lot to her to be wearing it now. To feel connected to Wulf's past. Wulf would also be wearing his family sword for the event, and when their baby married, he too would carry the sword strapped to his side.

 

The door opened slowly to reveal Urian on the other side. His long blond hair hung around his shoulders and he was dressed in an elegant black silk tuxedo. "Are you ready?" They had decided after much debate to let him be her sponsor. Apollites didn't have the same customs as humans. Since there was a good chance the bride's parents were already dead, they chose a sponsor who would escort the bride down the aisle and deliver the customary words to unite the couple.

 

Cassandra wished they could have a minister for the event, but both she and Wulf had agreed that it would jeopardize the community too much to bring one in. So, they would be married in true Apollite fashion.

 

At first, Urian had balked at the idea of being her sponsor, but Phoebe had quickly convinced him it would be in his best interest to play along with their wishes.

 

"You will do it and play nice with Wulf or you'll sleep on the couch. Forever, and considering your age, that means something."

 

"Is Wulf ready?" Cassandra asked Urian.

 

He nodded. "He and Chris are waiting for you in the main complex."

 

Kat handed her the single white rose that was wrapped with red and white ribbons. Another Apollite custom. Cassandra took the rose. Kat and Phoebe took their places in front of her and led the way. Arm in arm, she and Urian walked behind them.

 

The Norse custom was for weddings to be held outside. Since such a thing was even more dangerous than bringing in a minister, they had rented the open merchant area. Shanus and several council members had gone out of their way to bring hydroponic plants and flowers to simulate a garden centre. They had even constructed a small fountain.

 

Cassandra hesitated as they entered the complex.

 

Wulf and Chris stood in front of the hastily constructed waterfall that still managed to be beautiful. She had half-expected Wulf to be dressed in his Nordic clothes. Instead, he and Chris were in tuxedos that matched Urian's.

 

Wulf wore his hair long and loose, brushed back from his face. The silk of his tuxedo moulded perfectly to his body, accentuating every muscled curve. Never in her life had she seen a more handsome man. He was completely gorgeous.

 

"I'll take it from here."

 

Cassandra gasped as she heard her father's voice behind her. "Daddy?" she said, whirling to find him there with a wide smile on his face.

 

"You didn't really think I'd miss my baby getting married, did you?"

 

She ran her gaze over his body, her heart hammering. She couldn't believe he was here with her. "But how?"

 

He indicated Wulf with a nod. "Wulf came to the house last night and brought me here. He said it wouldn't be a wedding for you unless I came. And he told me about Phoebe. I spent last night in her apartment with her so that we could catch up and then surprise you." His eyes welled with tears as he stared at her stomach. "You look beautiful, baby."

 

She threw herself into his arms, or at least as close as she could, given her distended belly, and held him tight. It was the best present Wulf could have given her. She was blubbering like a child.

 

"Should we call the wedding off before you drown us in tears?" Kat asked.

 

"No!" Cassandra said, pulling herself together with a sniff. "I'm fine. Really."

 

Her father kissed her cheek, tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, and led her to Wulf. Kat and Phoebe moved to stand behind Chris while Urian took his place by Phoebe's side. The only other person present was Shanus, who stood back but watched them with a friendly expression that said he was more than happy to bear witness to the event.

 

"Thank you," she mouthed to Wulf who gave her a small, heartrending smile. In that moment, she felt the full depth of her love for him. He would make a good husband to her for the next few months and he would be a great father. In spite of what Chris said. Once they reached her soon-to-be husband, her father took her hand and placed it in Wulf's. Then her father took the red and white ribbons from the rose and wrapped it around their joined hands. Cassandra stared at Wulf. His eyes were hot. Kind. They smouldered with his passion and with pride as he looked at her. It made her shiver. Made her hot. His look touched every part of her body.

 

He tightened his hand on hers as her father began speaking the words to bind them together. "It is through night we are-"

 

"Light," Urian whispered loudly, interrupting him.

 

Her father's face flushed a bit. "I'm sorry. I had to learn this rather hastily." He cleared his throat and began again. "It is through light we are born and through... through..." Her father hesitated. Urian came forward to whisper in her father's ear. "Thank you," her father said. "This ceremony is nothing like ours." Urian inclined his head and stepped back, but not before he gave Cassandra an uncharacteristic wink. "It is through the light that we are born and through the night that we travel. The light is the love of our parents who greet us and welcome us into this world and it is with the love of our partner that we leave it. Wulf and Cassandra have chosen to be with each other, to ease their remaining journey and to comfort one another in the coming nights. And when the final night is upon them..." Her father stopped as his eyes welled up. He looked at her. The misery and horror she saw in his eyes made her own well up. "I can't," he said quietly.

 

"Daddy?"

 

He stepped back as a tear fell down his cheek. Phoebe came forward and wrapped her arms around him.

 

Cassandra started toward him, but Phoebe stopped her. "Finish it, please, Uri." Phoebe escorted their father off to the side.

 

Cassandra wanted to join them, but could tell her father was already embarrassed and upset that he had spoiled her wedding for her. So, she stayed by Wulf's side.

 

Urian moved to stand with them. "When the final night is upon us, we vow to stand together and ease the one who travels first. Soul to soul we have touched. Flesh to flesh we have breathed. And it is alone that we must leave this existence, until the night comes that the Fates decree we are reunited in Katoteros."

 

Cassandra felt her own tears starting again as Urian spoke the Atlantean term for "heaven."

 

Urian stepped to the pedestal that held an elaborate gold cup. The three Fates were engraved on it. He brought it over to Cassandra. "Normally this would be the blood of both of you combined, but since neither one of you is particularly gung-ho for that, it's wine." Urian handed the cup to Cassandra who took a sip, then gave it to Wulf who followed suit. Wulf handed the cup to Urian. As was the Apollite custom, Wulf bent down and kissed her so that the taste of wine was mingled with them. Urian returned the cup to the pedestal and finished the ceremony. "Here stands the bride, Cassandra. She is unique in this world. Her beauty, grace, and charms are the legacy of those who have come before her and will be gifted to those who are born through her. This man, Wulf, on the other hand stands before us a product of..." Urian frowned as he paused. "Well, he's the product of a bitch who can't stand the thought of Apollo's children ruling the earth."

 

"Urian, behave!" Phoebe snapped from where she stood with their father.

 

He bristled at her command. "Considering the fact that I just bound a member of your family to one of the people I have sworn to annihilate, I think I'm being remarkably good." Phoebe cast him a glare that loudly proclaimed he'd be sleeping alone for at least a week. If not longer. Urian curled his lip at Wulf. It was clear who he blamed for his wife's upset. "Fine. I'm glad I didn't say what I really thought," he muttered under his breath. Louder, Urian returned to the ceremony. "It is your similarities that brought you together and your differences that add variety and spark to your life. May the gods bless and protect your union and may you be..." He paused again. "Well, you already are blessed with fertility so we'll skip that." Phoebe growled low in her throat while Cassandra gave him a glare of her own. Urian cast another murderous look at Wulf. "May the two of you enjoy every minute left to you." Then, Urian took the ribbons that combined their hands and tied them into a double knot. The ribbons would last for the night and in the morning, they would be cut and buried for luck.

 

Chris and Kat led the way back to the apartment.

 

Her father came up to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I'm sorry I couldn't finish."

 

"It's okay, Daddy. I understand."

 

And she did. The prospect of saying good-bye to him hurt her too.

 

When they reached the apartment, Wulf, as was Norse custom, picked her up and carried her over the threshold. It amazed her because he had to do it with one arm since his other hand was still bound to hers.

 

Chris poured everyone drinks. "This is where Wulf's people would get drunk and party for a week. All hail the Vikings, forerunners to the frat boys!"

 

"You can party," Wulf said to him, "but I better not catch you drunk."

 

Chris rolled his eyes, then bent down and said to Cassandra's stomach, "Be wise, little guy, stay in there where Lord King Neurotic can't kill all your fun."

 

Wulf shook his head at him. "I'm surprised you're here without your newfound friends."

 

"Yeah, I know. I'm going to go find them shortly. Kyra is working on a new program and I'm going to test it."

 

Urian snorted at that. "That's one way of putting it."

 

Chris's face turned beet red. "And I thought he"-he indicated Wulf with his thumb-"was bad. What is it with you Peters women that you're attracted to losers?"

 

"I think I resent that," her father said.

 

Wulf laughed. "Boy, you better go find Kyra before you dig yourself in any deeper."

 

"Yeah, I think I agree." Chris excused himself and left.

 

Kat came up behind Cassandra and took the crown off her head. "I'll make sure and put it back in its case."

 

"Thanks." Suddenly, it felt a bit awkward in the room.

 

"Daddy? You want to come back to our place with us?" Phoebe asked.

 

"Sure." He kissed Cassandra on the cheek. "Not much of a reception, but I think you two should be alone." Kat joined them as they left.

 

They were alone now, and Wulf pulled a perfect single-carat diamond ring from his pocket and slid it over her finger. The band was a very delicate Nordic lattice pattern. She'd never seen anything lovelier.

 

"Thank you, Wulf," she breathed.

 

Wulf nodded. He stared at her in the pale light, her eyes glowing with warmth. His wife. The one thing he had never thought to have. At least not in the last twelve hundred years. Normally a couple on their honeymoon would be thinking about their future together. How they were going to spend their lives... He didn't want to think about the future. It was too bleak. Too painful. He should have kept her out of his heart. Every day he tried and every day he found her there even deeper than before. "Cassandra Tryggvason," he whispered, testing her new name.

 

"It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

 

He touched her lips with his fingers. Like her, they were soft and delicate. Inviting. "Are you happy?"

 

"Yes." And yet her green eyes were tinged by sadness.

 

How he wished he could erase that from her forever. Cassandra stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. Wulf groaned at the taste of her. At the way her hand felt on the back of his neck while her long, graceful fingers tugged at his hair. Her rose scent went through him, making him drunk and hot. "You are beautiful, my Cassandra."

 

Cassandra shivered at his low-voiced words. She loved it whenever he referred to her as his. Taking her hand that was tied to his, he led her toward the bedroom. Cassandra bit her lip as she watched him. He was so tall and devastating. He laid her carefully on the bed, then paused.

 

"How are we supposed to take off our clothes with this on our wrists?"

 

"My sleeves unzip."

 

"Mine don't."

 

"Then you're going to be wearing that tuxedo for the night. Ew!"

 

"Ew?" he asked playfully. "Suddenly I'm ew?"

 

She moaned as he cupped her chin and nipped her lips with his teeth. "Ew to the extreme," she teased breathlessly. She felt him unzip the back of her dress slowly as if savouring the anticipation of her being naked with him.

 

"You know, in Viking tradition, we'd have had witnesses for this."

 

She shivered as his hot hand skimmed her bared skin. "No offense, I am so glad this isn't in your lifetime."

 

"Me too. I'd have to kill any man who saw just how beautiful you really are. If they saw you, I know they'd be dreaming of you, and that I could never allow."

 

She closed her eyes, savouring those words, as he pulled her dress from her. He paused only long enough to kiss her bulging stomach. The minute his lips grazed her, she felt the light, fluttering movement inside. "Oh, my God," she breathed. "I just felt the baby!"

 

He pulled back. "What?"

 

Her eyes welling up, she placed her hand over the spot his lips had touched, wanting to feel the baby again. "I felt him," she repeated. "Just now."

 

Pride shone brightly in Wulf's eyes as he dipped his head and kissed her stomach again. He nuzzled her bare skin with his whiskered cheek.

 

Cassandra should have felt embarrassed to have a man so perfectly formed nuzzling her when she was the size of a whale, but she didn't. It was so comforting to have him with her.

 

He was her champion. Not because he had saved her life, but because of the way he stayed with her now. The way he held her when she cried. The way he comforted her. He was her strength. Her courage. And she was so damned grateful to have him with her. She didn't want to face the end alone. Wulf wouldn't let her. He would be there with her, even though it was going to kill him to see her die. He would hold her hand, and when she was gone, she would be remembered throughout time. "I don't even know the name of my grandmother."

 

Wulf frowned. "What?"

 

"I don't know my grandmother's name. My mother died before I could ask. Phoebe said she'd never thought to ask either. I don't know what either she or my grandfather looked like. I only know my father's parents from pictures. I was just thinking that I will be only a picture to the baby. He will look at me as I used to look at them. Abstract people. Never really real."

 

His eyes sparked with intensity. "You will be real to him, Cassandra. I promise you."

 

How she hoped that was true. He enveloped her in his arms and held her close. Cassandra held on, needing his warmth. She pushed the regret and pain out of her mind. There was nothing she could do. Inevitable meant inevitable. At least she had this moment in time. She burst out laughing and crying at the same time. Wulf pulled back and stared at her in confusion. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to control her emotions. "I was just thinking of that stupid song, 'Seasons in the Sun.' You know, 'we had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.' Good grief, I should be a mental patient."

 

He wiped her tears away and kissed her cheeks. His warm lips burned her skin. "You have more strength than any warrior I have known. Don't ever apologize to me again for those few times when you show your fear to me, Cassandra."

 

The love she felt for him ran through her, choking her up even more than her regrets. "I love you, Wulf," she breathed. "More than I think I have ever loved anything else."

 

Wulf couldn't breathe as he heard those heartfelt words. They tore through him like shattering glass. "I love you too," he said, his throat tightening at the truth of it. He didn't want to let her go. Ever. But there was nothing he could do to stop it.

 

Cassandra gasped as he kissed her passionately. He finished undressing her in a fever pitch. She unbuttoned his shirt and when they couldn't find a way to remove it or his jacket, Wulf tore them off. She laughed at the sight of him. But the laughter stopped the instant he laid his hot, heavy body against hers and returned to her lips. He rolled over onto his back and pulled her on top of him. He always took great care with her so as not to press against her stomach or hurt either her or the baby. His eyes searing, he placed her on top of him. They both groaned the minute he entered her. They made love furiously, each aware of the fact that for them the end was racing toward them. Aware that as every day passed, they were nearing an outcome that neither of them could control or avoid. It was frightening.

 

Cassandra cried out as she came in a wave of molten passion. Wulf pulled her against him as he joined her. Their joined hands rested on the bed above their heads. Wulf laced his fingers in hers and made her a ragged promise.

 

"I will not let you go without a fight."

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Thinking it was Ash since it didn't register a caller ID or number, Wulf pulled it off his belt and answered it.

 

"Hi, Viking."

 

His blood went cold at the sound of the thick Greek accent he remembered all too well. "Stryker?"

 

"Yes. Very good. I'm proud of you."

 

"How did you get my number?" If Urian had betrayed them, so help him, Wulf would rip his Daimon heart out and feed it to him.

 

"Ah, that's an interesting question, isn't it? I'll give you credit. You have led me on quite a merry little chase around town. But I do have my resources. Luckily one of them lives right here in town."

 

"Who?" Wulf demanded.

 

Stryker tsked at him. "The anticipation must be killing you, no? Who do I have? What do I want? Will I kill this person I hold?" He paused to make a delighted noise. "Well, I'll have mercy on you. I think you're smart enough to know what I'm after."

 

"I won't give you Cassandra. I don't care who you hold."

 

"Oh, it's not Cassandra I want anymore, Viking. Use your head. She's as good as dead in a few weeks anyway. What I want is your son and I want him now."

 

"Fuck you!"

 

Again, the Daimon tsked at him. "Is that your final answer? Don't you even want to know whose soul I'm going to devour?"

 

Not when compared to his son or Cassandra. It really didn't matter. No one on earth was more important to Wulf. But he had to know. "Who do you have?"

 

The phone went silent for several seconds while Wulf held his breath. It couldn't be Cassandra, Erik, or Chris he held. Who was left? The answer made his blood run cold.

 

"Wulf?"

 

It was Cassandra's father.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry looked up as Julian joined him at the table. “Good to see you back safe.”

 

“Thanks.” Harry pushed the books aside. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m still bothering with this.” He admitted. Julian glanced around the library to see if anyone was close enough overhear. Seeing that Harry flicked his wrist and Julian felt magic settle around them. “No one will pay any attention to us now.”

 

“Handy.  I asked my mother to look for you. When she came back she had an interesting story.”

 

“Ah…. like Apollo being a rat and Artemis’ temple falling down?”

 

“Something like that.”

 

“Yeah, I…. I’m still not entirely sure what’s going on. But Artemis no longer controls the Dark Hunters which is good.”

 

“Ash?” he hoped it was Ash cause who knew what the other gods might do.

 

“And me, yeah. Which nearly messed up a save the world plot which is why Ash isn’t here at the moment. He’s trying to ensure it works out and I might be joining him.”

 

“Take the semester, the year off. You need time to work things out.” Julian offered and Harry nodded.

 

“You’re right.” He stood up and the magic fell. “thanks.”

 

“Call if you need help with anything. I can still wield a sword.”

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

They drove for well over an hour before they reached his estate. Wulf pulled into his driveway and hesitated. There was no sign of battle here anymore. His garage, his windows were all intact. Even the front gate was standing. "Did Stryker repair it?" he asked Kat.

 

She burst out laughing. "Not his style. Believe me. He never repairs the damage he does. I have no idea what happened here. Maybe your Squires' Council?"

 

"No. They didn't even know about this." Wulf keyed the lock for his gate, then pulled toward the house slowly, expecting the worst. As he neared the front door, he stopped suddenly. There in the shadows beside his house, he saw movement. The mist from the lake was thick, swirling. He cut the lights so that his vision wouldn't be impaired by them and reached for the retractable sword under his seat.

 

There were three very tall men dressed in black walking toward them slowly, arrogantly, as if they had all the time in the world. They were united in power and strength, and their eagerness to fight bled from every pore of them. All of them were blond.

 

"Stay here," he warned Kat as he got out, ready for battle.

 

The fog swirled around the three men as they came closer. Probably no more than six feet three, one of them was dressed in trousers, sweater, and wool overcoat. One side of the coat was pulled back to show an ancient scabbard and sword of Greek design. The one in the middle was two inches taller. He, too, wore wool trousers and a sweater along with a long black leather coat. The third one had short hair, a shade darker than the other two. Dressed all in biker leather, he had two braids that fell down from his left temple.

 

And in that instant, Wulf remembered him. "Talon?"

 

The biker broke into a wide grin. "From the way you're holding that sword, I was wondering if you were going to recall me or not, Viking."

 

Wulf laughed as his old friend drew near. They hadn't seen each other in over a century. He gladly shook the Celt's hand. Wulf turned to the man in the middle and remembered him, too, from the brief time he had spent in New Orleans over one hundred years ago during Mardi Gras. "Kyrian?" he asked. The ancient Greek general had changed quite a bit since the last time he had met him.

 

Back then, Kyrian's hair had been cropped short and he had worn a beard. Now it was shoulder length and his face was clean-shaven. "Nice seeing you again," Kyrian said, shaking his hand. "And this is my friend Julian of Macedon."

 

Wulf knew the man only by reputation. Julian had been the one who had taught Kyrian everything he knew about fighting and battle. "Glad to meet you. Now what the hell are the three of you doing here?"

 

"They're your backup."

 

He turned to see Acheron Parthenopaeus and another man joining their group. He didn't know what stunned him most, their presence or the sight of the infant Ash had strapped into a baby harness, facing his chest.

 

Wulf was aghast. "Kyrian? Is that your baby?"

 

"Hell, no," Kyrian said. "No way I would bring Marissa into this. Amanda would geld me first and then kill me if I even considered it." He inclined his head to Acheron. "That's Ash's baby."

 

Wulf cocked a brow at that. "Lucy," he said in a mock Ricky Ricardo accent, "you got some 'splaining to do."

 

Ash grunted. "Stryker isn't stupid. Your idea of going in with a plastic baby, while admirable, would never work. Stryker would smell the plastic in an instant." He turned the Snugli sack around to face Wulf so that he could see the tiny, dark-haired infant it contained. "So, I give you a real baby."

 

"What if it gets hurt?" The baby sneezed. Wulf jumped as fire shot out of its nostrils and almost singed his leg.

 

"Excuse me," the baby said in a singsongy voice. "I almost made Dark-Hunter barbecue, which would be really sad 'cause I ain't got no barbecue sauce with me." The baby leaned its head back to look up at Ash. "You know fried Dark-Hunter isn't good plain. What you need-"

 

"Sim," the stranger said in a warning tone under his breath, cutting the baby off.

 

The baby looked up at him. "Oh, I forgot, new Akri. Sorry. Goo, ga, goo."

 

The stranger shook his head, dark hair brushing his shoulders as he did so, green eyes alight with amusement. “I’m Harry, nice to meet you Wulf.”

 

Wulf rubbed his forehead. "What is that?"

 

"He told you, Simi's his baby... demon." All five of them turned at the deep, sinister voice that was laced with a heavy Greek accent. Another man stepped out of the shadows. He was almost as tall as Acheron with black hair and vibrant blue eyes.

 

Ash arched a brow. "You came after all, Z. Glad you made the party."

 

Zarek snorted. "What the hell? I didn't have anything better to do. Figured I might as well come kick ass and take names. Not that I really give a damn about their names. I'm just in it for the bloodlust.”

 

"So, you're Zarek," Wulf said, eyeing the notorious ex-Dark-Hunter who had once been exiled to Fairbanks, Alaska.

 

His nasty attitude not only bled from every pore, but was apparent from the lip he kept perpetually curled. Billy Idol and Elvis had nothing on this man. "Yeah," Zarek said, sneering even more. "And I'm freezing, so can we rush this little get-together so I can kill some assholes and get back to the beach where I belong?"

 

"If you hate it here so much," Talon asked, "why did you agree to come?"

 

In a subtle gesture of flipping Talon off, Zarek scratched his eyebrow with his middle finger, which was covered with a long, sharp metallic claw. "Astrid wants me to make friends. I don't know why. Some weird woman thing. She's trying to make me more sociable. And…I owe Harry one.” He nodded to the one man who had treated him like any other person.  Ash let out a rare laugh at that. Zarek passed an equally amused, knowing look at Acheron. "I don't want to hear it from you, O Great Ash. You're the one who got me into this in the first place." Then Zarek did the most surprising thing of all; he bent down and chucked the baby on the chin. "How you doing, little Simi?"

 

The baby jumped happily up and down in the harness. "Fine. You got any more frozen beans for me? I miss being in Alaska with you. It was fun."

 

"No time for food, Sim," Ash answered.

 

The baby blew him a raspberry. "Can I eat the Daimons then?"

 

"If you can catch them," Ash promised, making Wulf wonder what the man knew about the Daimons that he wasn't sharing.

 

"What's that mean?" Zarek asked for him. "You being vague again?"

 

Ash looked at him archly. "Always." His answer got a laugh out of Harry and to their surprise Ash looked down at him with obvious affection.

 

Zarek let out a sound of disgust. "Personally, I think we should get together and beat the hell out of you until you come clean."

 

Kyrian scratched his chin thoughtfully. "You know-"

 

"Don't even go there," Acheron said irritably. He turned to Wulf. "Go get your weapons. You have an appointment to keep."

 

Wulf paused by Ash's side. "Thanks for coming."

 

Ash inclined his head to him and stepped away as he cuddled the baby demon to his chest until she reached for Harry who took her out of the carrier and settled her on his hip. Ash was amazed how quickly the two had bonded, he had been worried Harry wouldn’t accept her or vice versa and yet they had.

 

Wulf went back to the car to get Kat, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Kat?" he called. "Kat?"

 

"What's wrong?" Talon asked as he and the others joined Wulf by the car.

 

"Did you see the woman I was with?"

 

They shook their heads.

 

"What woman?" Talon asked.

 

Wulf frowned. "She's six feet four and blond. She couldn't have just van-" He paused as he rethought that statement. "Never mind, she's one of the few people who could have just gone poof."

 

"Is she your wife?" Kyrian asked.

 

"No, she's one of Artemis's handmaidens who's been helping us."

 

“Actually, she used to be Artemis’, she’s Apollymi’s handmaiden now.” Harry corrected.

 

Wulf looked at him as a feeling of dread went through him. "I hope you're wrong. Because if you're not, then Kat was working with Stryker all this time and is most likely off to tell him about our surprise party."

 

Ash cocked his head slightly as if listening for something. "I don't even sense her. It's as if she doesn't exist. But Apollymi wouldn’t be involved in this so I doubt she’s gone to Stryker.”

 

"So, what do you think?" Kyrian asked.

 

Ash picked his baby up as she started kicking him in the groin and moved her to his hip. The baby played with his braid, then started chewing it. Wulf furrowed his brow. If he didn't know better, he'd swear that baby had fangs. "I don't know what to think," Ash said, pulling his hair away from the baby, "Kat bears the description of an Apollite or Daimon."

 

"But she walks in daylight," Wulf added.

 

Zarek cursed. "Don't tell me there's another Day-Slayer loose."

 

"No," Acheron said firmly. "I know for a fact Artemis hasn't created one. She wouldn't dare. At least not at the moment."

 

"What's a Day-Slayer?" Talon asked.

 

"You don't ever want to know," Julian answered and Harry answered.

 

"Yeah," Zarek concurred. "What they said, times a hundred."

 

"All right, then," Wulf said, heading for his house. "Let me get my things and we'll be on our way."

 

As he walked off, he saw Talon move to stand beside Ash. "This is the part where you normally say if everyone does what they're supposed to, everything will work out as it's meant to. Right?"

 

Acheron's face was impassive. "Normally, yes."

 

"But?"

 

"We're dealing with something greater than the Fates tonight. All I can honestly say is it's going to be one hell of a fight."

 

Wulf laughed at that as he left hearing range. That was okay by him. Fighting was the one thing he and his people excelled at.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

They arrived at the Inferno just before midnight. Oddly enough, the bar was completely empty of patrons. Dante met them at the door, dressed in black leather. He didn't have his vampire teeth in, and he looked extremely angry. "Ash," he said, greeting the Atlantean. "Been a long time since you've darkened my door."

 

"Dante." Ash shook his hand.

 

Dante looked down at the baby with a knitted brow. "Simi?" The baby smiled. Dante let out a low whistle and stepped back. "Damn, Ash, I wish you would warn me when you're planning on bringing your demon here. Do I need to warn the guys the feeding machine has come visiting?"

 

"No," Ash said, swinging the baby lightly. "She's only here to munch Daimons."

 

"Where is everyone?" Wulf asked.

 

Dante glanced to the wall to his right. "I caught wind of what was going down tonight so we closed the place."

 

Wulf followed his line of vision and saw the pelt of a panther mounted there. He recognized the hide by the streak of red in it. "Your brother?"

 

Fury darkening his eyes, Dante shrugged. "The bastard was working with the Daimons. Feeding them information about us and you."

 

"Man," Talon breathed. "That's cold to kill your own blood."

 

Dante turned on him with a feral sneer that more than betrayed the fact that Dante wasn't human. "My brother betrayed me and our people. If I were as cold as I'd like to be, his hide would be on the floor so everyone could walk on him. Unfortunately, my other brothers were a little disturbed by that so we compromised with the wall."

 

"Understood," Ash said. "Where's the rest of the pack?"

 

"In the back. We're staying out of it. We don't like to kill our own."

 

Zarek snorted at that. "Unless it's your brother."

 

Dante approached Zarek and the two of them had a mutual sneer-off. "Law of the jungle. The betrayee gets to eat the betrayer."

 

Zarek gave him a droll stare. "Law of my jungle. Kill them all and let Hades sort them out."

 

Dante actually laughed at that. "I like this one, Ash. He understands us."

 

"Gee, Z," Ash said jokingly. "I think you may have found a new friend after all. That should make Astrid happy." Zarek flipped him off. Ash ignored it. "All right, game faces, guys."

 

Dante went to guard the front door while Ash removed his baby from the carrier and handed her to Wulf who was a bit hesitant to touch the little girl demon.

 

She eyed him speculatively, then smiled. "The Simi won't bite you if you don't drop her."

 

"I will try not to drop you then." She flashed her fangs at him, then settled back in his arms, the perfect image of a relaxed infant.

 

"Should we hide?" Julian asked. "Take them by surprise?"

 

"We can't," Ash said. "Stryker isn't a normal Daimon."

 

"More like Desiderius?" Kyrian asked.

 

"Worse. In fact, my best advice to all of you"-Ash directed a warning glare at Zarek-"is to let me handle Stryker. I'm the only one of us he can't kill." And then he glanced at Harry. “Well, one of two.”

 

"And why is that, Acheron?" Zarek asked. "Oh, wait, I know this. Fairbanks will hit one hundred and ten Celsius in January before you answer that."

 

Ash folded his arms over his chest. "Then why ask it?"

 

"Just to piss you off." Zarek moved across the floor. "When are they supposed to get here, anyway?" The air above the dance floor shimmered and hissed. Zarek's face broke into a wide grin. "Oh, goodie. Let the bloodbath commence."

 

Kyrian pulled his sword out and extended the blade while Talon pulled his circular srad into his hand. Julian unsheathed his Greek sword. Zarek and Ash didn't make a move for their weapons. Neither did Wulf. His goal was to protect Simi, Erik, and Cassandra. The bolt-hole flashed a second before Stryker came through it.

 

“Harry.” Ash whispered and green eyes narrowed at the bolt-hole and to everyone’s shock it flashed closed, allowing only a handful of Daimons through, rather than the legion it should have, including Urian.

 

Urian's face was completely stoic as he met Wulf's gaze. It was hard to believe this was the man who had married Wulf to Cassandra. There was nothing on his face or in his eyes that indicated Urian knew him. Kat was right, the man was one hell of an actor.

 

"How nice," Stryker said with an evil laugh. "You brought dinner for my men. If only everyone could be so considerate." Several of the Daimons laughed.

 

So did Zarek. "You know, I almost like this guy, Acheron. Pity we have to kill him."

 

Stryker slid a sideways glare to Zarek before his gaze went to Acheron. The two of them stared at each other without a word or emotion. But Wulf saw the momentary confusion on Urian's face as he noticed Acheron.

 

"Father?"

 

"It's all right, Urian. I know all about the Atlantean. Don't I, Acheron?"

 

"No. You just think you do, Strykerius. I, on the other hand, know your every flaw, right down to the one that enables you to believe in the Destroyer while she toys with you."

 

"You lie."

 

"Perhaps. But perhaps not."

 

Oh, yeah, no one could play the game of vagueness better than Acheron. He was a master at saying nothing and making people doubt the very air they breathed.

 

Finally, Stryker turned to Wulf. His gaze dropped to the baby Wulf held. He cocked his head and smiled. "How sweet. You went to so much trouble, didn't you? All of you did. I should feel flattered."

 

A bad feeling went through Wulf. Something wasn't right about this. Did the Daimon know Simi wasn't his?

 

Stryker moved to stand next to Urian. He draped an arm over his son's shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. Urian scowled at the action and grew rigid. "Children are the very thing we live for, aren't they?" Stryker asked. "They bring us joy. Sometimes they bring us pain." Urian frowned even more as his father played with the leather laces holding Urian's blond braid. "Of course, you'll never understand the pain I mean, Wulf. Your son won't live long enough to betray you." Before anyone could move, Stryker slashed Urian's throat with his hand that wasn't human anymore. It was the shape of a dragon's claw. He shoved Urian away from him. Urian fell to the floor gasping, holding his hands against his neck to stanch the blood flow while his father faced the Dark-Hunters. "You didn't really think I was stupid enough to fall for this trick, did you?" His gaze bored into Wulf and when he spoke, it wasn't Stryker's voice he heard... it was the voice of Cassandra's father. "I knew you would never bring me the baby. I just needed to get the guardians away from Elysia for a while."

 

Wulf cursed at his words as he moved to attack. Stryker vanished into a black cloud of smoke while the Daimons attacked. And the Daimon’ bounced off an invisible wall as Harry threw his hands up and then they screamed as they went up like human torches.

 

Ash ran across the floor to where Urian lay in a pool of blood. "Shh," Ash breathed, covering Urian's hands with his own. Urian's eyes were filled with tears as he stared up at Acheron. "Breathe easy and shallow," Acheron said, his tone soothing and deep as Harry joined him, a hand on Ash’s shoulder, something the others had never seen Ash allow before.  Wulf and the others watched in stunned silence as Ash healed the Daimon.

 

"Why?" Urian asked.

 

"I'll explain later." Acheron stood up and lifted the hem of his shirt until his lean, well-defined stomach was exposed. "Simi, return to me." The baby shot out of Wulf's hands immediately. She turned from an infant into a tiny dragon, then laid herself over Acheron's skin until she became a tattoo over his left ribs.

 

"I always wondered how your tattoo moved," Kyrian said.

 

Ash didn't speak. Instead, he raised his hands. One second they were in the Inferno, the next, they were in the middle of Elysia.

 

More than hell had broken loose since Wulf and Kat had left earlier. Unending screams rent the air. There were scattered bodies of Apollite men, women, and children everywhere. Apparently, they didn't disintegrate like Daimons did unless they died on their birthdays. Dread and fear tore through Wulf.

 

"Phoebe!" Urian cried, running for his apartment.

 

Wulf didn't bother to call out. No one could hear above the screams. So, he ran as fast as he could toward his wife and son. Several Daimons tried to stop him. His gaze glazed by fury, Wulf cut those that didn’t burn and he noticed Harry was right on his heels. No one would get between him and his family. No one. He got to the apartment to see the door had been kicked open. Shanus's dead body was lying just inside the living room. Wulf choked on fear until he heard fighting from his bedroom. Best of all, he heard his son's angry squall.

 

Running through the room, he reached the bedroom and paused. Chris stood in the farthest corner, holding Erik against his chest. Chris's two Apollite friends, Kyra and Ariella, stood in front of him as if they were a barrier to protect him and Erik.

 

Stryker and three more Daimons were attacking Kat and Cassandra, who were fighting them off with admirable flair and skill. "You can't hold your shield forever, Katra," Stryker growled.

 

Kat looked at Wulf and smiled. "I don't have to hold it forever. I only had to hold it long enough for the cavalry to arrive."

 

Stryker hesitated, then looked over his shoulder at the same time Wulf and Harry attacked.

 

Wulf killed one Daimon, then went for Stryker. Stryker turned around and blasted Wulf with a god-bolt that knocked him back into the wall. In return Harry sent Stryker into the wall and then electrocuted him, the remaining Daimons burning to ash.

 

Hissing in pain, Wulf saw movement out of the corner of his eye. It was Ash and Zarek. Kat immediately vanished while Stryker cursed. Ash and Stryker faced each other.

 

"Go home, Stryker," Ash said. "The war is over."

 

"It'll never be over. Not so long as my father"-he spat the word out-"lives."

 

Ash shook his head. "And I thought my family was dysfunctional... Let it go. You've already lost. My God, you just killed your own son, and over what?" Stryker roared with anger, then attacked Ash.

 

Wulf grabbed his son from Chris at the same time Zarek pulled Cassandra behind him. Wulf wanted to get them out and to safety, but they couldn't reach the door while Ash and Stryker fought in front of it.

 

Stryker shot a god-bolt at Ash who took it without flinching. Instead, he gave the Daimon a blow that knocked him up into the air and slammed him against the wall. Wulf whistled low. They all knew Ash was powerful, but he'd never seen the Atlantean do something like that. Stryker attacked again. But for some reason, Ash didn't kill him. The two men slugged it out as if they were humans and not... Whatever the hell the two of them were. His face bloody, Stryker shot another blast at Ash. He deflected it. Ash raised his hand, and as he did so, Stryker was lifted from the floor. Stryker shot a bolt at him that caused Ash to stagger back and release him. The Daimon hit the ground running, heading for Ash only to be intercepted as harry slammed into him, knocking him to the floor. Stryker screamed as Harry pinned him, hands on his chest and they watched in fear and awe as something was pulled from the Daimon who gasped and suddenly appeared very weak.

 

“Should I kill him?” Harry asked, holding the glowing ball he had removed gently in one hand.

 

Before Ash could answer a yellow-fleshed demon appeared out of nowhere. Her eyes flashing, she approached Harry and Stryker but hung back, obviously wary.

 

"If you take him Apollymi," Ash shouted. "You better keep him there." Ash called out and then he sighed. “Let her take him.”

 

Harry got up and moved away and the demon grabbed Stryker, disappearing with him.

 

"What the hell are you?" Wulf asked Ash as he turned to face them.

 

"Don't ask questions you don't want answered," Zarek said. "Believe me. You're so not ready to know the truth."

 

“So, what should I do with this?” Harry asked and they noticed he still held the ball.

 

“What is it?” Wulf asked warily and Harry smirked.

 

“Stryker’s power.” Seeing as no one had an idea Harry hid it for now.

 

"Is Stryker gone?" Cassandra asked quickly. Ash nodded. Cassandra hugged Wulf, then took Erik from his hands and held him against her shoulder to quiet him. "I know, baby," she cooed. "But the scary man is all gone."

 

"What grabbed the Daimon?" Kyra asked. "Where did they go?"

 

Ash didn't answer. "You're safe now, guys. At least for a little while."

 

"Will he be back?" Cassandra asked.

 

Ash gave an odd half-laugh. "I don't know. He's one of the few creatures beyond my powers. But like he said, it's not over. He might be back in a few months or a few centuries. Time passes differently where he lives."

 

Kyrian, Talon, and Julian came into the room. "The Daimons have all vanished," Talon said. "We killed some, but the rest..."

 

"It's all right," Ash said. "Thanks for the help."

 

They nodded, then walked out of the bedroom, into the chaos of the living room.

 

"Man, it's going to take days to clean this up," Chris said, looking around in disbelief. Then, before their eyes, the destruction was cleared. All that was left behind were the bodies.

 

Zarek snorted. "You better stop while you're ahead, Acheron."

 

"I'm not ahead, Z. I can't fix what was really damaged here tonight." Ash's gaze went to Shanus' body.

 

Wulf shook his head as he picked up Shanus to carry him to the town's centre. There were Apollites everywhere, crying and screaming over their dead. "They didn't deserve this," Wulf said to Acheron.

 

"Who does?" Ash asked.

 

A woman came up to Wulf. She had the bearing of royalty and it didn't take much to ascertain who she was. "Shanus?" she said, her eyes filling with tears.

 

Wulf laid the body down for her. "Are you his wife?"

 

She nodded as her tears glistened in her eyes. She cradled his head in her lap and wept quietly.

 

Cassandra moved forward. "I'm so sorry."

 

The woman looked up, her eyes filled with hatred. "Get out. All of you! You're no longer welcome here. We helped you and you destroyed us!"

 

Zarek cleared his throat. "That might not be a bad piece of advice," he said to Wulf, looking around at the others who were directing killing glares toward them.

 

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "You guys help Wulf and his family get out of here. I'm going to see about someone."

 

Wulf knew he meant Urian. "Do you want us to wait for you?"

 

"No. There'll be a couple of SUVs waiting for you topside. Head home and I'll catch up later."

 

"SUVs?" Kyrian asked.

 

"Again, I repeat, don't ask questions you don't want answered," Zarek said. "Just accept the fact that Acheron is a freak of nature and let it go."

 

Ash cast him a droll glare. "I may be a freak, but at least I don't throw lightning bolts at my brother."

 

Zarek laughed evilly at that. "At least I haven't struck him with one... yet."

 

Ash watched as Zarek led the group out of the city. Harry stood beside him and he drew strength from that as they stood in the centre, surveying the damage around them. He started to clear it out just as he'd done with Wulf's house and the apartment, then stopped. The Apollites would need something to focus on other than their pain. Rebuilding the city would take their minds off their grief. At least for a little while. Deep in his heart, he wept along with them. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should... He forced himself to walk down the corridor without yielding to the need inside to fix everything, Harry’s hand slipping into his as some of the worst damage fixed itself, mostly things that were trapping bodies so that the bodies could be buried. By the time they'd reached Urian's apartment, Ash was disgusted by the bloodshed Stryker had wrought in the name of Apollymi.

 

There was no sense in this, but then she was the Goddess of Destruction. And it was why he had to make sure she was never released from her prison. Ash found Urian on his knees in the centre of the living room. The man held a small gold locket in his hands as he wept silently. "Urian?" Ash said in a low, steady tone.

 

"Go away!" he snarled. "Just leave me alone."

 

"You can't stay here," Ash said. "The Apollites will turn on you."

 

"Like I care." He looked up and the empathetic pain Ash felt from Urian made him take a step back. It had been a long time since Ash had come into direct contact with so much hopeless grief. "Why didn't you let me die too? Why did you save me?"

 

Ash took a deep breath as he explained it to Urian. "Because if I hadn't, you would have sold your soul to Artemis over this and killed your father."

 

"You think I'm not going to kill him over this?" He turned on Ash with a growl. "There's nothing left of her. Nothing! I don't even have anything to bury. I..." His words broke off as he sobbed.

 

"I know," Ash said, placing his hand on Urian's shoulder.

 

"You don't know!"

 

Ash gripped his chin and lifted it until their gazes locked. "Yes, Urian, I do know."

 

Urian struggled to breathe as he saw images flickering through Ash's swirling silver eyes. There was so much pain in them, so much agony and wisdom. It was hard to maintain eye contact with him. He looked away and spotted the dark-haired man leaning against the wall by the door, keeping watch.

 

"I don't want to live without my Phoebe," Urian said, his voice breaking on the words.

 

"I know. For that reason, I'm giving you a choice. I can't lock on to your father to monitor him. I need you to do that. Because sooner or later, he'll be back after Apollo's lineage."

 

"Why would I protect them? Phoebe died because of them!"

 

"Phoebe lived because of them, Urian. Remember? You and your father were responsible for killing her entire family. Did you ever tell Phoebe it was you? You? Who killed her grandmother? Or her cousins?"

 

Urian looked away shamefaced. "No. I would never have hurt her."

 

"Yet you did. Every time you, your father, or one of your Spathis killed one of her family, she felt the pain you feel now. Her mother's and sisters' deaths tore her apart. Isn't that why you saved Cassandra to begin with?"

 

"Yes."

 

Ash stepped away from him while Urian wiped his tears away.

 

"You said I had a choice?"

 

"The other is that I will erase your memories of everything. You'll be free of all of this. All your pain. The past, the present. You can live as if none of this had ever happened to you."

 

"Will you kill me if I ask it?"

 

"Do you really want me to?"

 

Urian stared at the floor. To most people, his thoughts would be unknown. But Ash knew them. He heard them as clearly as he heard his own. "I'm no longer a Daimon, am I?" Urian asked after a brief pause.

 

"No. Nor are you an Apollite, exactly."

 

"Then what am I?"

 

Ash took a deep breath as he spoke the truth. "You are unique in this world."

 

Urian didn't like that anymore than Ash liked being unique. But some things could never be changed. "How much longer will I live?" Urian asked.

 

"You're immortal, barring death."

 

"That doesn't make sense."

 

"Most of life doesn't."

 

He felt Urian's frustration with him, but at least it was lessening some of the man's grief. "Can I walk in daylight?"

 

"If you want, I can make it so. If you choose amnesia, I will make you fully human."

 

"You can do that?" Ash nodded. Urian laughed bitterly as he raked a cold look over Ash's body. "You know, Acheron, I'm not stupid, nor am I as blind as Stryker. Does he know of the demon you carry on your body?"

 

"No, and Simi isn't a demon, she's part of me."

 

Urian's gaze bored into his. "Poor Stryker, he's so screwed and he doesn't even know it." The intensity of Urian's gaze burned. "I know who and what you are, Acheron Parthenopaeus."

 

"Then you know if you ever pass your knowledge along I'll make sure you regret it. Eternally."

 

He nodded. "But I don't understand why you hide."

 

"I'm not hiding," Ash said simply. "The knowledge you carry can't help anyone. It can only destroy and harm."

 

Urian thought about that for a minute. "I'm through being a destroyer."

 

"Then what are you?"

 

Urian let his thoughts wander through the events of this night. He thought about the aching pain inside him that screamed over the loss of his wife. It was so tempting to let Acheron erase it all, but with that he would lose all the good memories he carried too. Though he and Phoebe had only had a few years together, she had loved him in ways no one ever had. Touched a heart he had thought was long dead. No, it hurt to live without her, but he didn't want to lose all connection with her. He fastened her locket around his neck and rose slowly to his feet. "I'm your man. But I warn you now. If I'm ever given a chance to kill Stryker, I will take it. Consequences be damned."

 

Harry had watched them silently, waiting to see what urine chose. “There’s another option Ash.”

 

“Harry?”

 

“A use for Stryker’s power.” He met Ash’s eyes and let him see what they could do. Ash didn’t technically need him to do this, but Harry’s method would involve less meddling from him. Stryker was powerless now and would never regain that power, his mind was sharp and dangerous true but they could plan around that.

 

“Alright, there’s a third option.” Ash agreed.

 

“What?”

 

“You and Phoebe live out mortal, human, lives together in another country with no memory of the supernatural.” Harry explained and Urian looked between them, hope blooming.

 

“You can bring her back to me?” He whispered and Harry nodded. “Please.” For her he would beg.

 

Harry smiled sadly and then moved to where Urian had found the locket, kneeling and bringing back the ball of power. He closed his eyes and reached for Ash through their bond, melding their powers. The ball glowed brighter and then stretched out into the form of a body. When the light faded Phoebe lay on the floor and Urian gasped as he watched her chest rise and fall with breath. “Come here Urian.” He called and the one time Daimon moved to kneel across form him, a hand hesitantly reaching down to touch warm, living flesh.

 

Ash moved behind him and gently touched his forehead. “Live in peace.” He whispered, wiping Urian’s memories and working with Harry to build them new lives before they vanished.

 

Harry shifted, leaning into Ash who held him. “I wish we could bring them all back.” He choked back tears and Ash held him, he loved Harry’s compassion, he just wished it didn’t cause him so much pain.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Chris was helping Talon bandage his arm, which had gotten shredded by one of the Daimons. Julian sat with an ice pack on the back of his head while Kyrian poured peroxide over his bloodied knuckles, into a bowl.

 

Zarek stood like a statue against the wall by the hallway that led to the kitchen. He, alone, appeared unscathed by the fighting.

 

"You know," Kyrian said, pausing long enough to hiss as he poured alcohol over the peroxide. "The fighting was a lot easier when I was immortal."

 

Talon snorted. "I still am immortal and I'm pretty banged up. That was a hell of a fight."

 

The phone rang. Chris got up to answer it.

 

"That better not be Stryker," Cassandra said breathlessly. It wasn't. It was her father. Chris handed the phone off to her and her hand shook. "Daddy? Are you all right?" Wulf held her against his chest as she wept and talked for a few minutes, then hung up. "It was what you said," she breathed to Wulf. "They never had him. Stryker had used the same trick to get you to leave the city that he used on me to open the apartment door. Damn that bastard!"

 

The phone rang again.

 

"What is it?" Chris snapped. "A full moon?"

 

"Yes," all the men said at once.

 

"Oh." Chris answered it, then handed it over to Kyrian.

 

"Hello?" Kyrian said. "Oh, hi, hon. No, I'm okay." He cringed a bit. "No, hunting was good. We'll... uh... we'll be home tomorrow." He paused, then glanced to Julian. "What head wound?" He cringed even more. "No, tell Grace, Julian is fine. Just a little bump. We're all fine." Wulf laughed at the way the ex-Dark-Hunter was squirming. "Yeah, okay, will do. Love you too. Bye." Kyrian hung up the phone and let his gaze go to everyone. "Jeez, never marry a psychic woman." He looked at Talon, then Julian. "Guys, we're so screwed. The women know we didn't go hunting."

 

Zarek made a rude noise at that. "You think? What idiot came up with that lie?"

 

"I'm not an idiot," Talon snapped. "And it's not like I lied. I just omitted what exactly we were hunting and where we were doing it."

 

Zarek made another noise of disagreement. "Like your wives wouldn't know better?" He glanced to Kyrian. "When was the last time Mr. Armani hunted something that didn't have a price tag on it?" His gaze then went to Julian. "Oh, and the loafers and trousers are perfect camouflage."

 

"Shut up, Zarek," Talon snapped. As Zarek opened his mouth to retort, a knock sounded on the door.

 

Grumbling, Chris went to open it and let Acheron and Harry into the room. Wulf rose to his feet as they entered.

 

"We were getting worried about you, Ash," Kyrian said.

 

"I wasn't," Zarek said. "But now that you're here, do you need me for anything else?"

 

"No, Z," Ash said quietly. "Thanks for coming."

 

Zarek inclined his head. "Any time you want me to help rip something apart, just give me call. But in the future, could you pick somewhere warmer to do it?" Zarek flashed out of the room before anyone could respond.

 

"You know," Talon said. "It really pisses me off that he's a god now."

 

"Just make sure you don't piss him off," Ash said in warning. "Or he might turn you into a toad."

 

"He wouldn't dare."

 

Kyrian snorted. "We are talking about Zarek, right?"

 

"Oh, yeah," Talon said. "Never mind."

 

Kyrian stood up with a groan. "Well, since I'm one of the few non-immortals in the room, I think I'm going to head to bed and rest."

 

Talon flexed his bandaged arm. "Sleep sounds like a plan to me."

 

Chris threw the medical supplies back in the plastic box. "C'mon, guys, and I'll show you where you can crash."

 

Cassandra stood up with Erik. "I guess I should put him down.” She kissed Wulf’s cheek and then left the three men.

 

“Urian?” Wulf asked, in the end the Daimon had done his best for them and in exchange had lost his wife. Just like Wulf soon would.

 

“Urian is with Phoebe.” Harry answered, it wasn’t his fault any who heard would assume they were together in death.

 

"Life is a tapestry woven by the decisions we make." Ash followed on to Harry’s answer.

 

"Don't give me that pseudo quasi psychobabble bullshit, Ash. I'm tired, I had my ass kicked, I'm still worried about Cassandra, Erik, and Chris, and I really feel like shit. Just once in eternity, answer one fucking question."

 

Ash's eyes flashed to red so fast that for a moment, Wulf thought he might have imagined it. "I will not tamper with free will or fate, Wulf. Not for you, not for anything. There is no power on this earth or beyond that could make me do such a thing."

 

"What has that got to do with Cassandra?"

 

"Everything. Whether she lives or dies depends on what both of you do or don't do."

 

"Meaning?"

 

He was wholly unprepared for Ash's next statement. "If you want to save her life, you have to bond her life force to yours."

 

That didn't sound too hard. For the first time in months, he felt some hope. "Great. Any chance you're going to give me a clue on how to do that?"

 

"You feed from her and she feeds from you."

 

A feeling of dread shrank Wulf's stomach. "Feed how?"

 

Ash's swirling silver eyes met his and the look in them chilled Wulf to his soul. "You already know that answer. It's the first thought that went through your mind just now."

 

How he hated it when Acheron did that. "Have you any idea how disgusting the thought of drinking blood is to me?"

 

Acheron shrugged. "It's really not so bad."

 

“Feels good on the other end of it too, if done right.” Harry grinned impishly.

 

The words stunned Wulf. "Excuse me?"

 

Acheron didn't elaborate. "It's all up to you, Viking. Will you at least try it?"

 

What the Atlantean suggested was impossible. "She doesn't have fangs."

 

"She will if she needs them."

 

"Are you sure?"

 

Ash nodded. "It's really simple and yet it's really not. You drink from her neck and she drinks from yours."

 

The ancient Dark-Hunter was right. It sounded so simple at first. But could he and Cassandra really do that when everything they both believed in forbade it? "Won't my blood kill her? I thought Dark-Hunter blood-"

 

"You're not a Dark-Hunter, Wulf. Not really. You never died. You have always been different from the others."

 

Wulf snorted in derision. "Yet again you tell me something that should have been made known to me years ago. Thanks, Ash."

 

"Things are always given to us when we need them."

 

"That's so not true," Wulf said.

 

"Actually, it is. You just have to decide if you're strong enough, brave enough, to seize it and make it yours."

 

Ordinarily, Wulf would have had no doubt whatsoever about his strength or courage. But this... This required both of them. And it required a lot of faith that Wulf wasn't sure he had anymore.

 

“Is losing her worth clinging to old beliefs? You love her and she loves her. At least she doesn’t have to kill you to be with you like normal Dark Hunters.” Harry pointed out, compared to that drinking blood should be a piece of cake.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cassandra sat there in stunned silence after Wulf had told her of the possible out.

 

"Are you sure it'll work?"

 

Wulf took a deep breath. "I don't know what I believe anymore, but if there's a chance, shouldn't we try it?"

 

"And you're sure this Acheron isn't trying to kill me too?"

 

Wulf offered her a small smile and refrained from laughing at the idea. "That is probably the only thing that I am certain about. I trust Ash, at least most of the time."

 

"Okay, then, let's do it."

 

Wulf cocked his brow. "You sure?"

 

She nodded.

 

"Okay then." He moved to stand just in front of her. She tilted her head to the side and pulled her hair off her neck. Wulf put his hands on her waist. He hesitated.

 

"Well?" she prompted.

 

He opened his mouth and placed his lips on the warm skin of her neck. Wulf closed his eyes as he felt her heartbeat in the vein and he grazed her skin with his teeth. Mmm, she tasted good. He loved the way her skin teased his lips.

 

Cassandra cupped the back of his head with her hands. "Hmmm," she breathed, "you're giving me chills."

 

His body erupted at her words and the image he had of her naked in his arms. Bite her... He added pressure with his teeth. She tightened her grip in his hair. Do it! "I can't," he said, pulling back. "I'm not a Daimon or an Apollite."

 

She looked up at him from underneath her lashes. "Now you understand what I meant when I told you that I couldn't cross over."

 

Yes, he understood. But so long as neither of them was willing to do this, Cassandra was destined to die.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cassandra was in Wulf's bedroom, looking for her box, when she heard the door open behind her. She was mostly lost in thought when she felt two strong, powerful arms wrap around her and turn her to face a man she had only glimpsed one time before. The first night they had met. This was the dangerous warrior capable of shredding Daimons apart with his bare hands.

 

Wulf cupped her face in his hands and kissed her desperately. That kiss reached deep inside her and set fire to her blood. "You are mine, villkat," he breathed. His tone possessive. "Forever." He pulled her close to him, tight. She expected him to take her. He didn't. Instead, he sank his fangs into her neck.

 

Cassandra couldn't breathe as she felt the momentary pain that was quickly followed by the most erotic sensation she had ever known. Her mouth fell open as she breathed raggedly, her head spinning. She saw colours swirling before her eyes, felt her heartbeat synchronize to his as everything around her became hazy, dizzy. Pleasure erupted through her body with an orgasm so strong she cried out from it. As she cried out, she felt her incisors growing. Felt her fangs returning...

 

Wulf growled deep in his throat as he tasted her. He'd never felt so close to anyone in his life. It was as if they were one person sharing one single heartbeat. He felt everything she did. Every hope, every fear. Her entire mind was laid open before him and it overwhelmed him. And then he felt her bite into his shoulder. Wulf gasped at the unexpected sensation. His cock swelled, making him wish he were inside her.

 

She reached down between their bodies as she drank from him, and unzipped his pants. Wulf moaned deep in his throat as she guided him straight into her. With no control over himself, he took her wildly, fiercely, as they bonded their life forces together. They came together in a furious orgasm that slammed through them both at the same exact moment. Weak and spent, Wulf pulled away from her neck. She looked up at him, her eyes glazed as she licked her lips and her teeth receded. Wulf kissed her deeply, holding her tight.

 

"Wow," she breathed. "I'm still seeing stars."

 

He laughed at that. He was too.

 

"Do you think it really worked?" she asked.

 

"If it doesn't, I vote we follow Zarek's advice of taking Acheron out and beating him."

 

Cassandra laughed nervously. "I guess in a few weeks, we'll know." Only it didn't take that long. Cassandra's eyes widened as she started gasping for air.

 

"Cassandra?" Wulf asked. She couldn't respond. "Baby?" he asked again. Her gaze was filled with pain as she reached up, laid her hand against his whiskered cheek, and shuddered. In less than three seconds, she was dead.

 

 _"Acheron!"_ Ash jerked awake at the utterly desolated scream that rattled through his head. He was lying naked in bed with his black silk sheets wrapped around his lean body, Harry sprawled beside him, stirring.

 

“Ash?” Harry mumbled, sitting up.

 

“Somethings gone wrong with Wulf.

 

 _“Apostolos what have you done?”_ he mother demanded and he conjured clothing on even as Harry got up and dressed, able to hear her as well.  The corners of Ash's lips twitched as he understood her latest rant. Wulf had bitten Cassandra, ensuring Apollo would live forever.  He smiled, relieved at the truth. Thank the gods, Wulf had chosen wisely.

 

_“That was not the way this was supposed to turn out and you know it. How dare you interfere!”_

 

His eyes widened and he vanished, Harry on his heels.

 

It was too late.

 

Wulf was in his living room with Cassandra in his arms. Her face was pale with a bluish tint to it. As soon as the Viking saw him, his teary eyes blazed with hatred. "You lied to me, Ash. My blood poisoned her."

 

Ash took Cassandra from Wulf's arms and laid her gently on the couch. Erik started wailing as if he understood what had happened. As if he knew his mother was dead. Ash's heart stopped beating. He'd never been able to stand the sound of an infant crying. "Go to your son, Wulf."

 

"Cassandra-"

 

"Go to Erik!" Ash snapped. "Now, and get out of the room." Luckily, the Viking obeyed, Harry leading him since Ash didn’t need him. Ash cradled Cassandra's head in his hands and closed his eyes.

_"You can't resurrect the dead, Acheron, The Fates won't let you."_

 

"Don't mess with me right now, Matera. This doesn't concern you." He snapped angrily.

 

_“You know the rules my child Dark Hunter blood poisons Daimons and Apollites. His soul is owned.”_

 

"Artemis never owned his soul. She used him to protect her brother's line. What better way than to release him to watch over his immortal wife and breed equally immortal children who are strong enough to survive those who want them dead?" he smirked slightly. He would love to be able to see his mother, despite everything he loved her, but he loved the world too, which meant until they could find another option Apollo and Artemis had to live. Ash closed his eyes and touched Cassandra's forehead. Her eyes fluttered open slowly.

 

Cassandra sat up slowly. "Acheron?"

 

"Shh," he said, moving away from her. "It's okay."

 

"I feel so strange."

 

"I know. It'll fade soon."

 

Cassandra frowned as she looked around the room. Wulf returned. He froze as soon as he saw Cassandra sitting up. Faster than Ash could blink, he was across the room so that he could scoop her up and hold her.

 

"Are you all right?"

 

Cassandra looked at Wulf as if he'd lost his mind. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

 

Wulf kissed her, then looked at Ash in disbelief. "I don't know what you did, but thank you, Ash. Thank you."

 

Ash inclined his head. "Any time, Viking. All I ask is that the two of you enjoy your time together and have lots of children." He folded his arms across his chest. "By the way, as a wedding present, I'm revoking the daylight curse from you and your children. No one born to either of you will ever again have to live at night. Not unless they choose it on their own anyway." He smiled as Harry appeared with little Erik, now calm and happy.

 

"Am I missing something?" Cassandra asked again as she took her son from Harry.

 

One corner of Ash's mouth twisted up. "I'll leave it to Wulf to explain. For the time being, I'll go back to bed." Ash flashed out of the room.

 

Wulf picked Cassandra up and carried her toward his bed.

 

Ash found Harry waiting in the bedroom with the trunk of souls. “So, who does this belong to if it’s not Wulf’s?”

 

"Morginne."

 

“How?” he asked curiously.

 

“Using Daimon venom, Morginne drugged Wulf so that he unknowingly gave his to Loki. The spell Loki used to trade their souls wore off after a few months and Morginne's soul returned to Artemis while Wulf's went back to the amulet Loki holds. I'm the one who made Wulf immortal and gave him his powers. If we want to put that soul back inside someone, then we have to call Loki and see if he's willing to release Morginne."

 

“Did you know this would happen?” he was still getting the hang of just how much Ash knew when it came to the future, after all he hadn’t seen him coming.

 

“This was the way things were meant to be. Artemis needed someone to breed with Apollo's heiress. As much as I hate Apollo, I understand why Cassandra must live and why Apollo can't die."

 

"You planned this from the beginning," Harry was a bit in awe.

 

"No," he corrected. "I only hoped." He sat beside Harry, wondering how he would react to real evidence of his ability to see so far ahead.

 

“Okay, wow.” Harry kissed him and then their clothes vanished and he snuggled back into bed. Ash chuckled and joined him.

 

_You won this round against me Apostolos. I'll credit you with that. But tell me, how long can you continue to defeat me my son?"_

 

“As long as it takes Matera. I love you but I cannot allow you to be freed.” He murmured as he wrapped an arm around Harry’s waist.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cassandra awoke on her birthday, half afraid all of this was a dream. Even Wulf never ventured far from her side, as if he were afraid she would evaporate the moment he left her.  
  
He'd come rushing back to her at odd times throughout the whole afternoon. "You still here?"  
  
She'd laugh and nod. "So far nothing's going south."  
  
By the time the sun set and she looked the same as she had that morning, Cassandra realized the truth.  
  
It was over. They both were free. Her heart sang in relief. Wulf no longer had to hunt her people and she no longer had to live in terror of her birthdays. Ever again.  
  
It was perfect.

 

They never noticed the invisible Harry keeping watch over them for the day, just to make sure no one else tried to meddle. From there he appeared in Brisbane, Australia, where he watched a young couple happily having a day on the beach, the two obviously completely in love. Urian and Phoebe had their happily ever after too and that made it worth the effort of bringing her back and altering their species.

 

Harry hesitated before vanishing one more time, this time he stood in a field, able to feel the wards but he easily slipped through them and approached the rather haphazardly built home. He smiled as he saw Molly Weasley bustling around happily in the kitchen. He did miss them all, but he wasn’t their Harry anymore, he hadn’t been since the last battle and he couldn’t go back. Acheron and their Dark Hunters needed him much more but that didn’t mean he couldn’t leave a gift or two, even if they never knew it. The wards around the property strengthened so no attack or traitor would ever be able to pass and the family magic strengthened. With a last look he vanished, working to follow Ash to his home, apparently, he had someone else for Harry to meet and Harry wanted to know if there was anything he could do to give Alexion more life than he had.

 

_TBC……_


	17. ch17

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

_Final pairing poll for wild card is up, so far, it’s a tie for the threesome or Tabitha_

**Chapter 17**

Acheron woke to find the bed empty, the sheets cold. He looked around and found Harry at the window, staring out at the city. He got up and went to join him, not bothering with clothes. He wrapped his arms around Harry and was still awed when Harry leant back into his embrace. He’d wanted someone to trust and love him like this for so long, ever since Harry had shown him he could be cared for. “Is something wrong?” he murmured and Harry shook his head.

 

“Just memories… I stopped by England after checking on Wulf and Urian.”

 

“There’s nothing stopping you from visiting.” He wouldn’t stop Harry from seeing his friends, he doubted anyone could.

 

“No…they want the old Harry back, from before the war, before I died. It’s why I left in the first place, well partly. I got pretty sick of the press and fans too,” he chuckled slightly at that.

 

“But you still miss them. You know you’ll outlive them now?”

 

“It was always likely, the more powerful the wizard the longer they live. Only Neville was anywhere near my levels.” He put a hand over Ash’s on his waist. “It’s weird, I don’t remember anything form before, I just remember being Harry.”

 

“It could be you’re not ready to remember.” Billions of years of memories…. would they change him?

 

“Maybe.” Harry shook his head. “Okay, enough with the brooding.” He grinned up at Ash who chuckled. “What do you want to do tonight?

 

He wanted to pull Harry back into bed for the night…but he had responsibilities.

 

Harry sighed and turned to kiss him. “I know, we have work to do.” He smirked at the surprise reflected in silver eyes. “We, Ash. I am not letting you do this alone. Now, where do you need me to go tonight?”

 

Ash pulled him even closer, burying his face in dark hair. “Thank you.” He breathed, it would take time for him to get used to having someone so willing to help with him. “Think you can help Sundown in Reno?”

 

“No problem. I’ll see you in the morning.” Harry stepped back, clothing appearing and then he vanished.

 

It was incredible to see, there was no learning involved, magic came so instinctively to Harry, he was magic. He might get Kyrian or one of the others to fight with him though, see how his self-defence skills were. They’d hunted together but Harry rarely let Daimons get close enough to need to fight. Ash shook his head and clothed himself as well, hair shifting to dark purple even as he pulled on his shades. It was odd, he had hated Artemis turning his hair back to its natural blonde, but he didn’t care if Harry saw it. He’d had blonde hair when they first met and he knew it had reverted when Harry returned his soul, so he’d found himself relaxing his hold on the outrageous colours he wore when out while in Harry’s home.

 

Harry’s home…it really felt like a home even though only the two of them stayed in it. Being in the Garden District was handy, nice and close to Kyrian and Valerius. But unlike their mansions Harry had bought an 1839 creole cottage on Coliseum Street. It was still large, with two stories and five bedrooms but less imposing than a mansion. Harry had obviously updated parts of it, but he had also kept the character and Ash had come to prefer it over his own apartment in Pirates Alley.

 

Ash shook his head and vanished, he had a job to do but maybe….it was time to show Harry his real home, not the apartment. He appeared in an alley where five Daimons had some tourists cornered, smirking at the looks of shock as he summoned his staff.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry frowned as he read an article recently published by Soteria Kafieri. He had left university but that didn’t mean he didn’t keep an eye on publications and this one was dangerous. They could not risk someone finding Atlantis and being believed. With Artemis stuck on Olympus there was little she could do to interfere so he headed for Greece himself. He looked around at the woman’s equipment and sighed, the dog coordinates matched where he knew Atlantis had been. So, he vanished again, this time appearing under water, looking around in awe at the ruins of the island he had called home for a short time. He also heard Apollymi’s whispers and shook his head. He wished they could free her, let Ash have his Mother, but Harry would not let her end the world. This had to be done. He wove magic around the ruins, hiding them as his home had once been hidden, the secret buried in him to ensure the magic could never fade. Her voice faded and he headed home.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry moaned, clutching at Ash’s hips as the Atlanteans fangs sank into his neck. He definitely didn’t mind being Ash’s food source, it felt incredible to know what he was giving his lover. He knew Artemis had used this to control Ash, often forcing him to go hungry but he would never do that, he preferred Ash healthy and well fed. Ash removed his fangs, sucking at the wound and Harry’s eyes rolled back in pleasure.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry smiled as he watched Simi spend a fortune on ‘sparklies’. Ash spoiled her rotten, not that he could blame him. Katoteros was a very interesting place, it was nice of Ash to add a second throne for him, it showed how important he was and it felt good. Meeting Alexion had been interesting, learning why he lived there had been heart wrenching and left Harry wondering if there was anything he could do for the semi-alive man. Living for ten days when Dark Hunters had to be judged wasn’t a very fair life, it meant he rarely got to spend time in the human world. It had taken two trips with Acheron for Harry to figure out how to get himself in and out of the realm so that he could come and go as he pleased, with a guaranteed safe haven as few could enter Katoteros.

 

He smiled as Ash wrapped an arm around his waist. “She really doesn’t understand the word budget, does she?”

 

Ash laughed. “There is no need for her too.”

 

“Does anyone need that much jewellery?” He asked rhetorically as he let Ash pull him down from his perch on the arm rest of Ash’s throne to rest in his lap. After so many centuries with pretty much only negative body contact Ash was soaking up any touch Harry would give and he didn’t mind. It had been bad enough for him in the summers of his Hogwarts’s years and he had looked forward to Hermione’s hugs once back in the wizarding world.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry lead Ash through the Salem Market, enjoying his wide eyes, even if they were hidden behind sunglasses. He didn’t want to go back to Britain, that didn’t mean he couldn’t introduce Ash to the world of his birth, well the American version. He wasn’t as well-known over here and he’d changed a bit since the final battle. He’d hit one last growth spurt to his 5’11”, still shorter than pretty much everyone he was friends with in the States but taller than he’d thought he would reach, even with the help of corrective potions. His parents hadn’t been tall after all. His hair was also longer, brushing the tops of his shoulders, and the scar had faded away until you really had to look to see it, plus his hair helped cover it.

 

“How could we not know about this?”

 

“Don’t know, but you said there aren’t a lot of Daimons in London. Maybe our magic keeps the majority of your sort away and vice versa?” Harry shrugged as he ducked into the bookshop, Ash on his heels, before separating to browse the shelves. He was glad he got to show Ash something new for once. He was looking for some magical theory books, wanting to see what wizards believed about where magic came from, it wasn’t something he’d thought of while at school.

 

_TBC…_


	18. ch18

_Disclaimer: not mine_

 

**Chapter 18**

Katra sat on the cliff, watching the waves and feeling torn. Her Mother had barely any power anymore and was trapped on Olympus. She was free to approach her Father if she wanted to…she’d had the chance on Olympus and then while with Cassandra…and yet she had remained hidden. Why? What was she afraid of? As a child, she’d believed he didn’t want her but as she’d grown and snuck looks at him, eavesdropping on her parents… she had the sinking feeling he didn’t even know she existed. Would he want a child and one fully grown at that? She wasn’t blind, she could see what was between him and the dark-haired man, Harry. Would her presence endanger what they had?

 

“You weren’t easy to find.” A male voice commented and she leapt to her feet to find Harry standing a few feet away, dressed casually and unarmed. He hadn’t needed a weapon against Apollo or her Mother though.

 

Harry took in the tall, blond-haired, young looking woman before him and his heart sank even as he felt his anger simmer. How could that bitch do this? He didn’t need to ask to know who this was…she looked a mix of them both. This was Acheron’s daughter. “So, you’re Kat…Artemis and Ash’s daughter,” he stated and saw her start, obviously not expecting him to put the pieces together. “Let me guess, Artemis wouldn’t let you near him?”

 

“No,” she confirmed. “How did you find me?”

 

“Tracked you from Wulf’s. already knew you were a handmaiden…wasn’t expecting this though.”

 

That got a small laugh from her. “I bet.” She wasn’t sure what to say to her Father’s…what? There was no way they were only friends, not even with the little interaction she’d seen. “What will you do?”

 

“I won’t keep a secret from him, too many people have lied to him,” he warned and she nodded slowly.

 

“Will he even want to know?”

 

Harry laughed and shook his head. “He thought he couldn’t have children Kat, learning about you will be a dream come true.”

 

“Katra Agrotera,” she introduced herself and he smiled offering her hand for a shake.

 

“Harry Potter, your step-father I guess.” And then they vanished, reappearing in Harry’s New Orleans home. “Ash will be back soon, he’s at Sanctuary with Nick. Want something?” he offered as he went into the kitchen.

 

“Ah, water?” a water bottle was tossed in her direction and she caught it. She had to fight down the urge to vanish when Acheron appeared a minute later, heart pounding as she stared at the man who had turned, sensing her presence.

 

“Harry?” Ash stared at the young woman, recognising her from Wulf’s description, this was Kat, the Kori. But there was something…. he couldn’t see her fate.

 

“The two of you need to talk.” Harry moved to kiss Ash’s cheek. “I’ll go check on Valerius.” With that he was gone, leaving Father and Daughter alone together.

 

Ash blinked as his lover vanished and then looked back to see Kat fidgeting slightly. There was something about her…something almost familiar….no, it wasn’t possible. “Who are you?”

 

“Katra Agrotera, also called Abadonna.” She whispered, would that be enough for him to realise?”

 

Abadonna…the heart of the destroyer. Surely not even Artemis could be this cruel? He almost snorted at that, it was the sort of thing she would have done, another way to try and control him if needed. “My daughter?” he had to be sure and she nodded. He had a daughter…a grown child who obviously could look after herself from the way she had guarded Cassandra.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry sighed as he blocked another lightning bolt, amused by Zarek but also frustrated, was he trying to out Valerius to the mortals? He wrapped a shield around the Roman, ensuring his safety and comfort for the night before he went into the city to take out his anger at Artemis on some Daimons. How dare the bitch keep Ash’s child from him! He should have killed her and not just drained her magic! He hoped things were going well back at his place but he wouldn’t peek, their first meeting needed to be private. He would go home when Ash called him. With the streets clear he headed for Sanctuary for some good food and company. “Hey Nick, Ms Gautier.” He greeted the mother and son pair, taking a seat beside Nick.

 

“Harry, out alone? I thought Ash went home to you already?” Nick asked even as his Mother served them both their usual drinks.

 

“Something came up,” he shrugged.

 

“It’s so nice to see Ash has someone.” Cherise smiled at the young man who had won the heart of Nick’s friend. She left the two boys alone to talk as she worked. If only Nick would find a nice girl…or even a guy, she didn’t mind, she just wanted her son happy.

 

“How do you keep all this from her?” Harry asked, curious.

 

“Not easily. When I worked for Kyrian she though he was a drug dealer or something due to the cars and money.”

 

That got a snicker from Harry. “I bet that made things interesting.”

 

“Very. Not being assigned to a specific Hunter has made it easier, most of the time I can pass my absence off as study. She thinks I still work for Kyrian…I was working for Talon but there is no way I’m working for that ass Valerius,” he spat and Harry bit back a sigh.

 

“Tell me you don’t think he’s an ass because he’s Roman.”

 

Nick blinked. “His grandfather crucified Kyrian and he did nothing!”

 

Harry groaned mentally and felt like slamming his head into the bar. “What exactly do you think he could have done? He was a kid! Not even ten years old. Not to mention this all happened over two thousand years ago, I’ve heard of holding a grudge but that is ridiculous. How Ash puts up with the whole Greek/Roman feud I don’t know.” It was as bad as the whole blood purist thing. “History if full of the rise and fall of empires and nations, holding onto those feuds is pointless.”

 

Nick looked away…. he had a point but his first loyalty would always be to Kyrian.

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry sat down beside Ash on the couch, their bodies brushing with how close he sat. “Ash?” he kept his voice soft and Ash shifted to lean against him.

 

“I have a daughter. How could Artemis have kept this from me?”

 

“Because she’s a bitch?” that startled a chuckle out of the Atlantean.

 

“How did you figure it out?” Ash asked and Harry sighed.

 

“I didn’t at first, I was just curious about her after she helped Wulf and Cassandra so I tracked her down. Once I saw her…the resemblance was obvious to both of you.”

 

“I’ve missed so much of her life.”

 

“And now?”

 

“We will keep in contact.” Ash smiled at the thought. He had a daughter and a partner who really loved him and wasn’t ashamed of him. It was all he had ever dreamed of.

 

_TBC…_


End file.
